Resident Evil: Sins of the City
by Chase Samson
Summary: Leon S. Kennedy's first day on the job should have been a breeze. Unfortunately, it was anything but. With the influence of Umbrella hanging over his head at every turn, Leon meets up with Claire Redfield, the younger sister of Chris Redfield. Together, they battle against hordes of Undead and mutant monstrosities as the uncover the truth behind the sins of the city!


**Disclaimer: I do not, in any shape or form, own the characters from Resident Evil. They belong strictly to Capcom. I'm simply using them as a means to entertain my fellow Resident Evil fans who love the franchise as much as I do. I hope you enjoy the following read!**

**RESIDENT EVIL: SINS OF THE CITY**

**Chapter One**

Beep!

Beep!

Beep!

Smash!

I could curse myself for every time I broke an alarm clock. It was becoming a trend. As I looked over at the remnants of it, I knew that today wasn't the day for me to procrastinate. Running a tired hand through my ragged morning do, I yawned so hard that my jaw cramped up.

Normally, I would just say fuck it and go back to sleep, but if I did that today, my dad was going to give me another earful. All throughout high school, all I ever remembered him telling me was that I was just a waste of potential, and how the other kids would kill to be me.

He must not have gotten the memo that I didn't give a shit.

However, I wasn't going to fight with him on this day. After all, he did spend his last to send me to the police academy after I told him that I wanted to be a cop.

My thinking was simple: Being a cop was dangerous, yes, but nothing ever happens in Allentown. This city was so dead that if anything illegal were happening, the police would be the ones behind it. More importantly, I could retire in my forties and enjoy the rest of my life without having to worry about social security and non-guaranteed pensions.

So I did my old man a service by going through with it. Training was the easy part. After being the star quarterback of my football team, I wasn't short on athleticism.

I attribute that quality to my ever waning attention span.

It was the biggest reason why I hated school. I didn't understand what I could learn in a classroom that I couldn't in the field. Always the one to become bored easily, I coasted through high school, keeping my GPA just high enough for me not to get kicked off the team, which pissed my dad off more than anything else.

After stretching my body to its limit, I ran a hot shower to start my day. There was nothing worse than foul body odor the first day on the job. Everyone would always talk about it and turn their noses up at me.

After jumping out the shower and brushing my teeth, I went into my closet to pull out my uniform. The blue was as sharp as a butter knife and the I hated the ugly boots even more. For Christ sake, they didn't even have laces. Who makes boots like these for law enforcement? Shrugging it off, I wasn't going to sweat the small stuff.

Inside of my closet was my attaché case, which looked pretty awesome. It was black steel with a carbon ring around the edge and my own personal name plate. The R.P.D. had to be well funded if they could afford to spoil their new recruits like this.

Inside was newly crafted H&K VP70 semiautomatic handgun, a titanium reinforced knife, three magazines and a pair of handcuffs. Not too bad for a rookie cop. Most police departments couldn't afford handguns of this quality, let alone three spare magazines.

It only made me wonder what the seasoned vets were strapped with.

"Leon? Are you going to take some lunch with you on your way out?" My mom was always the sweetheart. Unlike my dad, she never pushed me to be anything I didn't want to be. When I told her that I had made up my mind to be a cop, she wasn't thrilled with the idea initially. After all, I'm her only boy.

"Just leave it on the counter!"

"All right, son."

I checked my handgun, making sure the safety was on and that it was fully loaded before heading downstairs.

Sitting at the kitchen table was my beleaguered old man, reading the "Morning Call", our town's daily paper.

"When should I expect you expect you back?" he asked.

"No time soon, I hope."

My dad looked up from his paper, smiling a sly smile. "I love you too, son."

I returned his smile and headed out the back. I gave my mom a kiss on the cheek and grabbed the bagged lunch she made me. Out back was Carmen, my faithful Jeep Wrangler, waiting to take me on a joy ride.

She was wasn't the flashiest ride in town, but boy was she reliable.

I hopped in and drilled the key into the ignition. Her engine purred like a vicious vixen. I backed out of the driveway and made my way out of Allentown, embarking on a new future with new beginnings.

**Chapter Two**

I didn't know if my dad was testing my detective skills when he gave me this shitty map, but I was lost. Terribly. Raccoon City was supposed to be three hundred and seventy-two miles away from Allentown, but it seemed like I had just driven a thousand. After making a couple of pit stops in Bridgeport and Wayne, I threw the map away and continued heading west on the main highway.

The one thing I did love about driving out here was that there was hardly anyone on the road to ask me for directions, give them a jumpstart, or to help fix a flat tire.

However, it was getting dark and I hadn't seen a soul on the road in this direction at all. Even for me, that was unusual.

The clock in my jeep, which was about the only time telling device I hadn't broken, blinked 8:30 PM as I crossed into an unfamiliar strip of highway.

Up above my head was a billboard with a pretty blonde woman, holding a tube of toothpaste in her hands as she flashed a smile one could only find on TV. It was a brand of toothpaste that was supposed to be head and shoulders above the rest. Some crap called "Ora-Fresh". At the foot of the billboard was an ad for Umbrella Pharmaceuticals. My guess was that they were the ones that made it.

If I could offer Umbrella some advice, it would be to come up with a more clever name.

There was an exit to my right that came up and I turned on it. After fifteen more minutes of driving, I felt my eyes starting to get tired. I'd been on the road for almost eight hours and I was due for some rest.

Then I saw the road sign come up.

"RACCOON CITY- EXIT 32- NEXT ¼ MILE"

Whatever sleepiness I had, I immediately shook off as I was finally approaching my destination.

The road was dark, but there was something about the path to Raccoon City that had an ominous, even dreadful feel about it. Maybe it was the circle of crows in the sky that made me a little nervous. I wasn't too sure, but something felt strange.

I stole another glance at the clock and it was only 9:10 PM. I knew that in small towns like these, most people were either home or in bed by ten, but this was just ridiculous.

There wasn't anyone walking the streets at all. Cars were abandoned in the middle of the road.

As I drove further into the quiet town, I felt a radical chill run through my bones as I realized that there was blood everywhere.

What could have happened here, I thought. The streets of Raccoon City were so dark that even with my headlights on, I could barely see anything in front of me. I made a right turn on Parker Place and continued driving.

I wasn't sure if I was hallucinating, but I could have sworn I saw someone lying in the middle of the street.

Just your luck, Leon. First day on the job and you're already seeing shit.

But, as I continued to drive, I realized that I wasn't hallucinating.

There definitely was a body in the middle of the street.

I stopped Carmen a few feet away from the body, making sure to keep the headlights on so that I could see what I was dealing with.

I didn't sign up for the strange and unusual.

The body was that of a young girl. She couldn't have been any older than twelve. As I approached her, I noticed that she was surrounded by the strangest crows I'd ever seen. The same ones that were hovering above me on my way here. Feathers and skin were missing from certain parts of their bodies, not to mention their severely blood shot eyes. They all flew away once I took another step closer.

Her body was pock marked with what looked like deep puncture wounds. They didn't seem conclusive with that of a knife.

More like some sort of pointed object.

What could have done this?

As I continued to examine the body, I heard slow dragging footsteps coming from behind me. At first, it sounded like a few guys that had a little too much to drink, so I didn't pay it any mind.

Not the right time to make rookie mistakes.

The footsteps were coming closer and then there were moans that made me feel very uneasy. I turned around to look back at who ever it was and there had to be at least a dozen people coming my way.

I couldn't really make them out in the light, but there seemed to be something seriously wrong with them. I stood up to face them and I unholstered my handgun.

"Freeze! I said freeze!"

The mob of strangers continued to come up on me and when their faces came into the light, I knew for sure that there was something freaky going on.

Much like the weird crows, these people had missing patches of skin and blood all over their clothes.

What really started getting to me was the foul scent that was invading my nose.

A smell like a dead body. Multiplied by twelve.

I tried to cover my nose while I gave out another warning.

They were still coming.

It was as if they hadn't heard a word I said.

Shaking off my rookie jitters, I trained my handgun on the closest target and shot him in the leg, just above the knee.

He didn't seem to be fazed by it. He didn't even scream.

I shot him again, this time in the shoulder and all he did was continue to advance.

He should have went down after that, I thought. I fired at the shoulders of the others, but the effects were the same.

None at all.

There were too many of them coming and I was running low on ammo. I was forced back by their advance and that's when I felt something grab at my ankle from behind. I quickly turned around to find the same dead girl, trying to bite my leg. I shot a round into her head and she stopped moving.

Permanently.

It killed me inside to do that, but I knew I had to. Something was seriously wrong with these people. The others were fast approaching me and I shot the closest one in the head. She also went down. I needed to get back to my jeep to collect the other three magazines of ammo, but I would never make it. I didn't have enough left to drop the rest of them.

I took off, leaving Carmen behind, and ran into a nearby alley. It was incredibly dark and any one of these psychos could jump out from the shadows and attack me.

All the buildings were unlit except for the diner on the corner. I fired another headshot at one who surprised me as I tried to cross the street. I only had two rounds left.

From where I stood, I couldn't see anything going on inside of the diner, but as looked for another path to run, the backdoor swung open. I was moments away from pulling the trigger and sending a slug right into the brains of the auburn haired girl that ran out.

But, there was something about her that made me hesitate.

Perhaps it was the fear pronounced in her eyes when she saw my gun aimed at the space between her eyes.

It could have also been because she had one of those psychos chasing her, too.

Come to think of it, these people didn't seem the least bit afraid of injury or death.

Or anything for that matter.

"Wait! Don't shoot!"

The auburn haired girl threw her hands up in surrender and I did the only thing I could at that moment.

"Get down!"

She dropped down immediately and I slammed a 9mm round straight through the skull of her pursuer.

He fell to the floor, a pool of blood collecting under his head.

I extended my hand to her to help her up. "We can't stay out here. We've got to head to police station. It'll be a lot safer."

She took my hand and I pulled her up. We both took off running towards the streets. It seemed like more of the crazies were roaming around than I could have possibly imagined.

"Come on! Let's go to Main Street. It's right up ahead," she said. If she knew her way around this town, that was a definite plus. With only one shot left, it would be foolish move to stand pat. Once we got to Main Street, there was a potluck of abandoned cars lining the curb.

Right across from our current position was an R.P.D. Cruiser. The doors were locked and the crazies were coming fast. I used the butt of my gun to smash in the window before jumping inside. I unlocked the door and let the girl in.

Thankfully, the key was still in the ignition and the gas tank was half full. I turned the key and shifted the car into drive, plowing down a few crazed maniacs en route to the station.

There was an uncomfortable silence between the auburn haired girl and me...who was kind of cute when I allowed my eyes to wander over her body.

Pink shorts and leather tights? I don't know where she got her fashion sense from, but she sure knows how to rock it!

I could see her nervously looking out the window as we cruised down Gregory Ave. There were more of the crazies shuffling down the streets.

"What's going on? I arrived in town and the whole place just went to hell," she said. She was visibly upset.

How could she not be?

I tested the radio of the Cruiser, trying to get a lock on all the feeds, but was met with nothing but static. I slammed the receiver down in frustration.

"Dammit! The radio is out!"

She turned to look at me, scanning me up and down as if seeing me for the first time.

"You're a cop, right?" Something in her voice sounded as if me being a cop was unreal.

"Yup. First day on the job. Great, huh?"

She smiled faintly, but didn't say anything.

Being gregarious always made me persistent.

"The name is Leon Kennedy. Nice to meet you."

"Mine is Claire," she said. "Claire Redfield. I came to find my brother, Chris."

"Chris? Is he a police officer, too?"

"Not exactly. He's a member of S.T.A.R.S.."

The name was only vaguely familiar to me. "What's that?"

A look of pride suddenly came over Claire's face. "It's the Special Tactics and Rescue Service. An elite task force within the R.P.D.."

"Nice," I said. "So do you think your brother could give us a clue to what is going here?"

"That's what I hope to find out. I haven't heard from him since July."

I was now at a crossroads. Normally, I would have told Claire that it was likely that her brother was dead and that we shouldn't even bother looking for him. Especially if she hadn't heard from him all summer.

Then there was the other part of me that wanted to help find her brother. I guess the righteousness that came with being a police officer was starting to kick in.

Go figure.

"Can you do me a favor? Check the glove box, please," I said, pointing at it with my eyes.

Claire reached for it and opened it. "There's a gun inside," she replied.

"Better take it with you."

I watched her in the corner of my eye as she expertly checked the gun to make sure it was loaded and functional. "A modified Browning HP. Holds thirteen rounds, and packs a mean punch in the right hands," she said with a sly smile.

"How'd you know that?" I could hear the sound of impression in my own voice.

"I'm sure you think I'm a silly girl who can't defend herself, but I can assure you that I'm more than capable."

Talk about a blow to balls...

"I...I didn't think that at all," I said. "Hey, if you were able to survive out here, unarmed, that's got to count for something."

Claire sat quietly, not saying a word.

I shook my head, giving myself time for Claire's words to roll off my back as I made a left on Williams Street. Behind us, in the distance, was a semi truck that looked to be going full speed. I couldn't see the driver, but I was sure that they were in a rush to get the hell out of Raccoon City.

"I know this is going to sound kind of weird, but...do you have any gum?"

Claire cocked an eyebrow before she reached into the pocket of her tight pink shorts. She pulled out a pack of bubble gum that was warped from her body heat. "You're in luck. I have two left. Orange or grape?"

"I'll take the grape, thank you."

As I reached to take the gum from her, both of our guards were down. One of the crazy street psychos was hiding in the backseat and lunged forward and tried to bite me. I was able to mush his head back, but he was incredibly strong and persistent. I lost control of the wheel fighting with him. Claire tried to push him back too, but he was going to overpower both of us.

The Cruiser slammed into a few street signs as I fought to regain control of the wheel. We were coming up on a dead end and the Cruiser was moving too fast for me to make a complete stop in time. I got a firm grip on the wheel and turned it all the way, forcing the Cruiser into a one hundred and eighty degree spin.

The velocity the Cruiser was going, coupled with the force of impact when we crashed into the dead end, caused the bloodthirsty psycho to fly out the back window, splitting his head open on the wall.

Thank goodness for seat belts.

I assessed my body to make sure that nothing was out of place or broken before looking over at Claire.

"Hey...you all right?" I said.

Claire sighed in relief as she slipped her gun into the waistband of her shorts. "Still in one piece."

She smiled at me and I returned it. It took a near death experience for me to see that she had a beautiful set of teeth. All it did was make me think of that stupid billboard I saw earlier.

The sound of a diesel engine snapped us out of our brief moment of levity. I looked up and saw the same semi that was behind us, barreling down Williams Street. The driver was in much better view this time around and he looked just like the psychos we've been trying to avoid.

"That maniac is gonna ram us! Move!"

We both instinctively unbuckled our seat belts and dived out of the Cruiser as the semi crushed the car. There was a thunderous explosion that had enough concussive force to knock me several feet away from the blast zone.

Luckily, I was able to brace my fall with my arms and rolled to safety when I hit the ground. There was nothing but a sky high fireball and twisted metal where I just was a few moments earlier. The intense heat of the fire kept me from getting any closer.

"Claire? Claire, are you okay?"

Through the smoke and fire, I could hear someone coughing on the other side of the wreckage. "I'm...I'm okay, Leon."

"Head to the station. I'll meet you there."

"All right. You be careful!"

I couldn't see Claire, but I could hear her running away. I turned around and was faced with more of the crazed psychos. This time, they were wearing police uniforms that were tattered and covered in blood.

With only one round left, I would have to navigate around them to ensure I would get to the police station in one piece. After a quick jog along Jensen Avenue, I realized that I was at the back of the R.P.D. building. There was just one crazy in between me and the entrance and I made a break for it.

Running full speed, I ran and knocked him out of the way before he had a shot at biting me, and powered through the entrance.

**Chapter Three**

Inside the back of the police station was a maintenance shed and the parking lot. The entrance to the parking lot was locked and there was no way for me to get the door up. I slowly went through the maintenance shed, making sure to be on high alert if there were more of the crazies in here.

The only thing in here was the generator that supplied power to the building. As far as I could tell, it was still running. There was nothing of use here, so I continued my way onward through the exit.

There were a total of five crazies, just haplessly standing around and I moved quickly before they noticed me. One of them was a female and judging by her attire, she looked like she was in the police station often times for the wrong reasons. The only thing keeping me from reaching the metal staircase that would lead me inside the station was this female crazy. She was blocking the path and was in no rush to move.

I tried to sneak around to get by her, but she lunged at me and I had to back up quickly. She missed my body, but she still managed to grab my ankle. I tried to shake her off, but her single-minded bloodlust was persistent. Unable to break free, I brought my knee down on the back of her head, smashing it completely.

I would be lying if I didn't think that it was insane how easily I was able to do that.

I jogged up the staircase, stopping briefly when I heard gunfire.

It sounded like an automatic weapon.

Once I reached the top of the stairs, there was a R.P.D. officer firing at two others. He looked to have his mind right while the other two looked as crazed as the people on the streets.

Above me was a helicopter that was flailing wildly in the air. The pilot must have been caught in the wild shooting. Before I could react, the chopper crashed right onto the roof, erupting into a ball of furious flame.

Covering my eyes to block out the bright light from the explosion, I could no longer hear any gunfire.

Who ever that cop was, he was surely dead now.

The fire burned brightly, illuminating the launchpad of the police station with fervent beauty. There was only one door up on the roof and I quickly went through it before the fire spread.

Once inside, I was surrounded by darkness and silence. On the floor was the body of an R.P.D. officer, whose body was intact, except for the missing head.

On the belt, I saw two clips of ammo and I took them from the corpse.

It wasn't as if he would be needing them.

I felt better now once my handgun was fully reloaded. At least now, I was in better position to protect myself from the crazies.

My thinking was that being in a police station, there should be no reason why I would be low on ammo. It wasn't as if these guys were using guns.

The fire found its way inside the building, blocking one of the corridors. There were about five of the crazies in the corridor with me, and thanks to their slow pace, I was able to drop them easily.

Passing through a waiting room, I exited the door and found myself in the main hall of the police station. There didn't seem to be much going on here. The hallway was very well lit, unlike the rest of the place. I climbed down a set of stairs to the first floor. All the doors I tried were locked and locked tightly.

The last door in the mail hall was right across from the reception desk. If this door was locked, then I would have to find another way around.

I took a deep breath as I placed my hand the knob and turned.

It turned all the way.

I pushed the door open and my jaw dropped when I witnessed the carnage that happened here. Bullet holes riddled the walls. There were shards of broken glass everywhere.

And half a dozen bodies.

I paced myself slowly, keeping a firm grip on my handgun as I moved through the room. I couldn't help but notice a two liter bottle of soda that sat untouched on the desk.

After all, it wasn't as if these psychos were going to wash a meal down with it.

There was a groan coming from an office in the back that put me on high alert. It didn't sound like the moan of the crazies, but I wasn't going to take the chance. As I got to the doorway, I instinctively aimed my handgun inside at the nearest target.

There was a cop, bleeding from his chest and shoulder, that was leaning up against a file cabinet. He looked at me with a solemn, human expression.

"Who...who are you?" he said weakly, coughing up blood. There was a look of familiarity in his eyes. It made me wonder if he was going to lose his mind like the others at any moment. "Wait...you must be the new guy...Le...Leon. Sorry, kid...but...it looks like your party...has been cancelled."

I reached over and used my body to prop him up as he was slowly losing consciousness. "That's right. What happened here?"

He winced in pain and I knew he was in a lot of it. "About two months ago, there was an inci...incident, involving zombies, located in a mansion in the outskirts of this city."

"Zombies? You're joking, right?"

"Do...do I look like I'm joking?" he said pointedly.

By the look of his injuries, it was clearly the wrong thing for me to say. "No...sorry, sir. Please continue," I said awkwardly.

"Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, and Barry Burton discovered that...that Umbrella was behind everything." Even in his weakened condition, I could sense the resentment he had for Umbrella in his voice. His mention of Chris's name got my attention. If he was involved in this mayhem somehow, that might explain why Claire hadn't heard from him since July.

"If that's the case, why didn't they go public with it?"

"They risked their lives to reveal the truth...but everyone thought they were crazy. Then...all this started to happen."

Until today, I would have been with everyone else on that one.

He was rapidly losing consciousness. I wanted to help him, but there wasn't anything I could do. Especially not with his degree of injury.

"Just try to hang in there, all right? I'll be back with someone who can help you."

"Don't worry about me, Leon. Just rescue the survivors in the other rooms." He painfully reached for something in his shirt pocket. It took almost all his strength to fish it out. In his hand was a shiny blue card, covered in his blood. "Here...take this keycard. You should be able to unlock the doors in the hall with this. Go on."

"I can't leave you like-,"

He pulled his handgun on me, pointing it right at my face. The look in his eyes told me not to fuck with him. "Just go!"

"Fine," I said as I got back to my feet, "but, I'm coming back for you. Just hang on, okay?"

I took the keycard from him and moved to leave the office when I heard him call out to me again.

"Le...Leon, one more thing. Whatever you, don't let the zombies bite you. If you do, you'll...you'll turn into one of them."

"Thanks for the heads up," I said. "By the way, I never did get your name."

"I'm...I'm Sergeant Marvin Branaugh. You were supposed to be my latest recruit," he said with a pained smile. "I'm sorry that...that I couldn't formally bust your balls."

There was a sick laugh that followed, but it was a welcome one. It showed me that he was still human.

"Go, Leon. Save the survivors and get the fuck out of here."

**Chapter Four**

I took an ammo clip and radio from Sergeant Branaugh, and left the office. At the reception desk was a dusty computer that looked like it hadn't been used in ages despite being on. After inserting the keycard into the appropriate slot, I heard all the doors in the main hall unlocking with loud clicks.

At that moment, I thought of Claire. I wondered if she was all right. With hordes of zombies roaming the streets and her out there alone, I didn't like her chances.

Or anyone's for that matter.

There were a set of double doors straight ahead of me that were locked before I got the keycard from the Sergeant. I went through the doors and found myself in another waiting room area. This one was a bit larger than the one upstairs, but just as eerily quiet.

There was some sort of blockade placed towards the back of the room. I tensed up my finger on the trigger as I went around to the other side. There, I found another door that was slightly ajar. As I went to open it, something flashed across the window in front of me.

It moved too fast for me to get a good look at it, but whatever it was...it wasn't human.

I could feel the beat of my heart pounding in my ears as I anxiously made my way through the door. This hallway looked as if it had been struck hard by zombies. Just like the streets, there was blood and broken glass everywhere. The hall was most likely shaped like an "L", and I was just about to turn the corner when I heard an unnerving sound.

Something like a dripping pipe.

The sound was steady, yet frightening, considering that it was the only sound in the hallway. It could have been anything, but in a place like this, I couldn't be too sure.

I took a peek around the corner and on the floor was a massive pool of blood.

It looked fresh.

Naturally, I was afraid to move any closer, but I couldn't allow my fear to paralyze me when Claire was counting on me.

Slowly, I moved towards the pool of blood and saw a door hidden in the darkness beyond it.

The dripping sound I heard earlier seemed to have been drowned out by something scarier.

Something far more sinister.

Echoing through the hall was the sound of something taking a long exhale. I looked behind me and saw nothing there and I knew that even in the darkness, there was nothing in front of me. The sound came closer, which only served to make me more tense.

Then something dripped on my shoulder.

I slowly took a look at my right shoulder and noticed specks of blood falling on it. I was hesitant to look up, fearing the worst.

Above me, I saw some "thing" scaling the ceiling. At first glance, it looked like a man, but I knew that men did not naturally scale ceilings nor were they skinless.

Whatever it was, it dropped down to the floor, exhaling loudly as I noticed two sets of massive claws on each arm. Each claw looked like a sword and it had three of them on each arm.

I drew my gun on it out of instinct, primed to fire. Out of nowhere, its tongue shot out like a dart, knocking my handgun from my hand. A sharp pain shot through my hand. I looked down at it, noticing that its tongue was as sharp as a knife, easily breaking my skin. I slowly took steps back, trying to get some separation, but the creature was just as quick as it was fearsome. It launched itself into the air, pouncing on me with its massive claw. I jammed my arm up into its head, trying to fight it off, but this thing was inhumanly strong.

My arms were starting to give out from the exertion and it was only a matter of time before this thing would overwhelm me. The creature looked to be going in for the kill, lifting its claw up for a moment to try to slam it into my head.

That moment was all the time I would need.

As the claw went up, so did its leverage. I unsheathed my combat knife from my vest and stabbed the creature right in its head. As it fell back, I realized that its brain was exposed, like some sort of horrifying tumor. A wail of fury and pain came from the creature as it flailed its claws and sword-like tongue wildly.

With the advantage seemingly mine, I picked up my handgun and started firing away at its head. After three shots, it went down. I kicked its body to make sure that it was dead and was relieved that it was.

I knew it wasn't the time or place to become complacent, but for some reason, I felt that I was destined to walk away from that encounter, no matter what.

The first floor of the West Wing yielded nothing but a few stray zombies. They were much easier to put down when their numbers weren't great. I reached a small hallway at the far end of the West Wing that had two doors and a staircase. One of the doors was tightly locked and was composed of reinforced steel. There was an engraving of a diamond at the bottom of the keyhole, and until I found that key, there was no way for me to get inside.

I took a peek inside the unlocked door, but there was nothing here but a dark room used to process pictures.

The darkroom lied at the foot of a long staircase. I took my chances going upstairs, readying my handgun for any possible threats.

I sure picked a doozy of day to see the police station for the first time. I was supposed to come in for a walk around with Chief Brian Irons, but he called me at the last minute to cancel, stating that there was something going on with Internal Affairs and the R.P.D. was being investigated.

At the time, I was happy because I didn't want to take the long drive, but if I knew what I did now, I could have mapped out the city to secure some kind of escape route.

Whoever said that hindsight is 20/20 wasn't lying.

As I walked through the second floor of the station, I had forgotten for a moment that I was in a police station. I felt as if I was in an art exhibit, showcasing all different types of artwork from various eras.

Statue busts and oil paintings in a police station? If not for the zombies and weird monsters, that would probably be the strangest thing about Raccoon City.

I pushed through the only door that would open and found myself in a dust caked hallway, filled with spiderwebs. There was a zombie cop walking aimlessly here. His badge read "Walker".

_Sorry, Officer Walker_, I said to myself. I squeezed a round into his head and he dropped to the creaky floor like a wet sandbag.

To my left was the office of the S.T.A.R.S. unit. I eagerly went inside to see what the hell these guys were all about. I wasn't expecting them to be there to welcome me, but the office was devoid of anything that I could use.

Towards the radio station was a large metal closet. The hinges were rusty and squeaky from years of use, but at least it wasn't locked. Inside I found some more 9mm rounds as well as serviceable shotgun. As I examined it, I recognized it as a Remington M870. The stock and barrel were cut to make the weapon more portable, but at the same time, sacrificing some of its power.

This weapon did not hold much in the way of shells, but it would come in handy for nasty situations. I slipped the shotgun into my other holster as I walked around to inspect the office.

Towards the front of the office was a desk that was far neater than the others. It belonged to a Captain Albert Wesker.

Judging by the organization of his belongings, this guy surely was on top of things.

Towards the back of the office was a picture of the S.T.A.R.S. team on the wall. I didn't know what Claire's brother looked like, but it wasn't hard to decipher which one was him. It seemed the Redfields exhibited some strong qualities.

I scanned the remainder of the office, spotting something on the desk next to Wesker's. It was a green journal, half way hidden underneath a bunch of receipts and junk. I picked it up and scanned through the pages. The journal belonged to Chris. All though I didn't read all the entries, many of them detailed his time here in Raccoon City as a member of S.T.A.R.S., and his interactions with Jill Valentine, but the last page stood out like a sore thumb in my eyes.

_August 9, 1998_

_It's been a whole two weeks since the nightmare back at the Arklay Estate. The whole city is worried shitless and Mayor Warren is running out of ways to reassure the people that nothing happened. But I know what happened. Jill, Barry, Rebecca, and I all know what really went down. It was the type of hell I wouldn't wish on anyone, not even Wesker. He deserved far worse._

_Chief Irons has denied us the chance to make a statement to the press or the people of Raccoon City. I don't know what else to do here. Claire has been worried sick about me, leaving messages on my answering machine nonstop. I want to tell her what's happened here, but she'd never believe me. This was on of those things she would have to see for herself, and there was no way I would want her to witness this nightmare, but then again, if I were on the outside looking in, I'd probably think I were crazy, too._

_I've been working overtime, gathering as much Intel as I can on Umbrella, but everyone around the city has been so tight lipped about it. It's becoming obvious that certain people around here know more about what happened at the Arklay Estate than I might have first thought. My research, along with some help from Barry, has led me to Europe, Umbrella's main base of operations. If I head there, maybe I'll be get to the bottom of all the hell that's befallen Raccoon City._

_Barry and I will head out within the next couple of weeks. Because of the nature of what's happened here, I can't tell anyone of my intentions. Not Jill. Not Chief Irons. Not even Claire. I can't allow her to get involved. The Umbrella Corporation is an entity I don't fully understand myself, and the last thing I want is for my baby sister to get hurt._

_Claire, please forgive me. I hope you'll understand someday why I had to do this…_

A part of me felt that there was more for Chris to say, but I could feel the weight of his emotions sinking him into the darkness. A darkness that he wanted Claire to have no part of. In the space of time that I had taken to read his journal, I felt that in some strange way, I knew him, but more importantly, the struggle he faced. I closed the journal and slipped it inside of my vest. Claire had to know the truth behind her brother's disappearance.

I couldn't help but notice that Chris had a high disregard for his Captain. He even went as far as calling him a traitor. What could Wesker have done to him that Chris would wish a worse hell on him than the one the city was already facing? There wasn't any more time to think about it. Getting out alive with Claire at this point was all that mattered now.

Taking one last scan of the office, I didn't see anything else of use on the other desks, so I decided to leave.

As I grabbed the doorknob to turn it, I heard the footsteps of someone running on the other side. I quickly opened the door and in the corner of my eye, saw a young girl. She looked a lot like the first zombie I encountered when I got here, but I knew she was human.

Zombies don't scream "Help me"!

Small, blonde and terrified, the young girl took off running around the corner. I guess if I were her, I'd be running, too. The undead police officer launched a stream of putrid vomit at the poor girl. That stuff was like acid. It melted right through the bench on the wall.

She managed to get away and ran through the door on the side of the hall. I needed to get to that girl. There was no reason for her to be running around here alone in the police station.

After dropping the regurgitating dead man with a single headshot, I ran through the door behind her. By the time I got through, all I saw were her tiny legs pushing themselves through a vent, down the hall.

"Hey! Wait! I'm not a zombie! Come back!"

I ran to the vent as fast as I could, but she was long gone. I just hoped that nothing bad would happen to her.

The same door I came through suddenly burst open and I immediately aimed in that direction.

It was the second time I almost blasted Claire in the face.

"Claire! You made it!" I said, relieved.

"Believe me, it wasn't easy getting here," she said. There was a thoughtful expression on her face that mirrored her body language. "I hope I wasn't imagining things...but did you see a little girl run through here?"

"Yeah, you just missed her. Do you know who she is?"

Claire shook her head. "No, I don't, but I've got to look for her. It's way too crazy out here for her to be all alone. While I do that, try to find us a way out."

"That's without question," I said. I reached for the spare radio I got from Sergeant Branaugh on my belt and handed it to Claire. "Before I forget, take this radio. If something comes up, we can keep in touch."

"Sure thing. I'll contact you as soon as I find the girl."

I nodded. "Good. Hey, there's something else I have to give you." I reached inside of my vest and picked up the green leather journal. Claire eyed it expectanly. "It doesn't look like we're going to find Chris here after all."

She took the journal, racing her fingers across the smooth surface. Without even opening, she already knew what it was. Something in her eyes felt like she had been in denial, but I couldn't be too sure. "I should have known that I wouldn't find him here," she said. "It's not like Chris to just up and leave without telling me. Whatever happened must have been something really bad for him to do that."

"When you get the chance to read his last entry, you'll understand everything."

Without another word, Claire shook her head, looked me in the eye for a split second, and went back the way she came. I went through the only other door that was unlocked. It was a finely polished hardwood that looked as conspicuous as the artwork here. After going through it, I relished the cool breeze coming from the ventilation above. I was surrounded by nothing but old books and reference materials in the R.P.D. library.

This place was huge. There were countless shelves of books and even more desks and tables. Even better, the library was completely deserted. There were a set of double doors towards the opposite end with a small staircase next to it. When I got a better look, I saw that there was a small catwalk behind one of the bookshelves. Unlike everything else in the library, the catwalk looked old, weathered and on the verge of collapse.

There was a small metal door up there that looked rusted beyond repair. Carefully treading the dilapidated catwalk, I managed to make it to the rusty door. I was now in the main hall of the police station on the highest level. From here, I could see everything going on both outside and in. There were two doors here. One of them was nailed shut. The other was at the other end of the walkway.

There was a shining light coming from one of the large windows in the main hall and I could hear the sound of a helicopter outside. From the roar of the engine, I could tell it was definitely not a civilian craft. I looked outside to see if I could spot the helicopter, but all I saw was a giant, metal canister looking object, falling out of the sky.

What the hell is that? Some kind of bomb or something?

Then there was the force like a sonic boom, crashing through the North Wing of the building. Whatever that was, it had to be something big.

Once I returned to the North Wing of the building, the impact of the gigantic canister must have put the fire out that was burning away at the helicopter's remains.

My hands were sweaty and quivering. I tried to tell myself that I was not scared, but it wasn't working.

I was never more scared in my life.

On the other side of the helicopter skeleton was a door that was obliterated by some kind of explosion. There were fragments of burnt plastique scattered all over the floor. It couldn't have come from the canister.

The same canister that towered over me on the floor. It had to be at least fifteen feet tall. The top of the canister was embedded in the ceiling, blocking what was left it out of sight.

I took careful steps towards it, expecting the worst, like some kind of nuclear explosion.

After seeing what I did next, I probably would have preferred it.

The canister was open and at the bottom of it looked like a footprint.

Only that the footprint was about the size of four of my feet put together. The scarier thing was how easily the print was left behind on the seemingly thick metal used to construct the canister. Much of it was covered in soot and debris, but I was able to make out the "T-103" etched on the side in bold, white letters.

I couldn't possibly imagine would could have walked out of this thing.

I heard the sound of gunfire coming just from the door across from me. The shots were deliberate and methodical.

As if the shooter was a professional.

That didn't mean that they didn't need help.

I ran through the door as quickly as I could and witnessed another R.P.D. officer take down one of the zombies with a vicious neck snap.

Not the kind of guy whose bad side I wanted to get on.

He had to have stood at least six foot six, and was built like a tank. I'd seen big, black guys before, but he was man amongst boys. His muscles were so ripped, he looked to have muscles in places I didn't even think anyone could have them.

As I got closer to him, he looked over his shoulder at me before suddenly collapsing to the floor.

After holstering my handgun, I went over to his side, trying to roll him over on his back. I should have guessed that he'd be heavy, but I didn't think he'd be this heavy. The palm of my hand had blood smeared on it. I checked his body for the source of the blood and found a gunshot wound, right underneath his ribcage.

He must have sensed me near him once his eyes shot open. "Who...who...are you?"

"My name is Leon." I didn't want to touch his wound, but if I was going to save this guy, I had to do something. "Who shot you?"

He winced in pain as he found a way to sit up, holding his side with his hand. "The...Chief."

"Wait, you mean Chief Irons? Why would he shoot you?"

"The hell should I know. The entire police station was locked down once the zombies got out of control. Next thing I knew, he starts hunting down and killing off everyone inside. If he's still alive, I'm gonna get him back for this."

"He hunted you down too?"

The unknown police officer gave me a snark look before managing to find a way to stand.

One tough son of a bitch.

"Not exactly. I was helping out a civilian and he came in behind me and fired a shot before I could defend myself."

"We've got to get that bullet out of you first," I said. "You'll bleed to death."

"Don't worry about it, kid. I don't have time to bleed."

He slowly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a flak jacket underneath, much like the one I was wearing. "The bullet caught me in the inseam. It's just a flesh wound."

"I saw you pass out. Are you sure?"

"I've been shot before, kid. I think I'm pretty sure."

Talk about being anticlimactic.

"I'll be fine, Leon," he said as he tossed the flak jacket down to the floor. "By the way, I'm Lieutenant Keven Marshall. You must be one of the new guys."

"Yeah. Today is my first day, actually."

"Raccoon City gave you one helluva welcome, didn't it?"

"That's for sure."

Lieutenant Marshall had the look of the no nonsense type, but not the demeanor. Even during this turbulent time, he seemed upbeat and calm.

I guess I would be too if I looked like I benched pressed tractors trailers.

"Have you found any other survivors?" he asked me.

"Well, I came in with a girl, Claire. She's around somewhere. There's also a little girl wandering around, too. We're both trying to find her. I found Sergeant Branaugh. He's hurt bad."

Marshall frowned. "How bad?"

"I don't think he's going to make it," I said, shaking my head.

"Marvin is one of the best cops in this town."

"He wanted me to find the rest of the survivors. I'm going to do that as I try to find a way out of here."

"You do that, Leon," he said. "I've got a score to settle with Irons."

"Forget about him. We should be trying to get out of here."

His lips parted as he was ready to say something, but the wall exploded into chunks of concrete and steel, causing both of us to fly down to the floor.

I brushed the dust out of my eyes and saw Marshall slowly gathering himself up to his feet. From behind us, there were a heavy set of footsteps that thundered through the hallway.

It only took one glimpse for me to realize that I was staring at something that was more inhuman than the zombies.

At first glance, it looked like a man.

A freakishly large, ten foot tall man.

He looked human, but then, he didn't. I'd never in my life seen anything as stoic and menacing, and all he did was stride at a deliberate pace, as if stalking us.

Dressed in an unusually heavy looking trench coat, this "man" had fists that made Lieutenant Marshall's look like baby mitts.

Marshall clutched my arm in his grip, pulling me back as the giant "man" threw a straight punch right at my head. His fist went right through the wall as if it were made of paper.

Without wasting any time or motion, Marshall quickly reloaded his weapon, a Desert Eagle Magnum, and took aim on the target.

He shot the "man" in his body first, but it did nothing to slow it down.

A .50 caliber round could kill a man through a brick wall, and this guy shrugs it off like a mosquito bite!?

After firing seven shots, the "man" continued to advance on us. Undeterred, Lieutenant Marshall stepped up and fired a shot right into his head. For a .50 caliber round to only stun after taking a shot to the head was unreal, but it bought us some time.

"Leon, run," Marshall said coolly, slamming in a fresh new clip into his Desert Eagle. "I'll catch up with you later."

"What! Are you crazy? You're gonna be killed!"

"Let that be my problem. Now go!"

Stubbornness was certainly a glorified Kennedy trait.

I pulled out the Remington and cocked the slide. As Marshall kept the monstrous "man" distracted, I maneuvered to his side and started unloading shells on him. After emptying out the M870, Marshall fired one last shot into the head of the "man" and finally, he wobbled, fell to one knee before collapsing to the floor.

The force of his fall shattered the windows in the hall.

There was no way for me to be sure if he was dead because he sure didn't look it. I looked back at Lieutenant Marshall, who was reloading another magazine into his cannon of a handgun.

"I thought I told you to run, Leon," he said, not keeping his eyes on the fallen giant.

"You would have been killed by him!"

Marshall's eyes jumped on me after pulling the slide back on his gun. "Don't be ridiculous, kid. It, not him, it." There was a frank chilliness in Marshall's voice.

"Fine," I shot back defensively. "What the hell is it?"

"It is a B.O.W.. A bio organic weapon, created by Umbrella."

"Umbrella? You're not talking about the same Umbrella Corporation that makes those cheesy ads, are you?"

"The one and only."

"How in the world do they go from making crappy toothpaste to ten foot tall things that look like men, but aren't? Can you explain that to me?"

"You're not from around here, kid, so there's a lot that you don't know. All the cheesy ads? Those are just a front for what Umbrella is really about."

"What's that?"

Marshall slid his magnum back into its holster as he looked at me with his steely, dark brown eyes. "Bio-terrorism."

**Chapter Five**

"So if all the evidence of the t-Virus was destroyed in the Arklay Mountain explosion, how did Raccoon City get infected?" I asked.

Marshall filled me in on details of the Arklay Mountain incident, the t-Virus, and the coverup that Umbrella tried to pass over to the government.

It was surely a lot to take in.

"No one knows for sure, but my guess is that there is another research facility, somewhere in the city."

"Umbrella sure knows how to make a mess of things," I said. I took a glance at Marshall's wound, checking to see if was still bleeding. "You sure you'll be all right with that injury?"

"You worry about me more than my old lady does," he said with a smile. "I'll be fine, kid. Trust me."

After making sure the tape he applied to his ribs was taut, he went into his pocket and fished out a red key card. "Here. Take this. You'll need it if you want to get out of here alive."

I took the card from him, examining it closely. The top of the card had the R.P.D. insignia and a weathered magnetic strip on the bottom. "What's this for?"

"That's a key to the armory. I have the only remaining one, so you should be able to get in with no problem."

"Where is the armory?"

"It's downstairs, in the basement. It's not going to be easy getting down there, but if you make it, you'll find plenty of ammo. You'll need it if you plan to escape with others."

Marshall stood up from his position and twirled his body a bit to loosen up the bandage. "One more thing, Leon. If you run into Chief Irons, don't approach him. He is very dangerous."

"I trust you, Marshall," I said. He started walking towards the battered wall. "Hey, where are you going?"

"I'll catch up with you later, kid. I've got some things I need to take care of."

And just like that, he was gone.

Marshall seemed to know a lot about everything that happened in Raccoon City. I wondered if he was somehow involved. He would never tell me if he was, so even though he seemed like an ally, I would keep a close eye on him.

The East Wing of the police station was a killer on ammo. There must have been hordes of zombies here. I just prayed that the journey to the weapons cache was worth it.

The undead wailed furiously as I dropped them, one by one, with a succession of head shots. The path to the basement went through the main office and it was only fitting that the largest grouping of zombies were here. Blasting my way through them, I was fortunate enough to still have some ammo left.

The door to the basement was locked, but the door itself wasn't that sturdy, and after a few shoulder bumps, I forced my way through. I could immediately tell by the broken glass on the floor that zombies from the outside had been through here. There were a couple of bodies, one of them so rotted, I would be surprised if it could reanimate somehow.

At the next bend of the narrow hallway I found myself on an old, dilapidated staircase. The banister was so decrepit, that it would break if I so much as breathed on it. I readied my gun and started heading down into the darkness.

My footsteps echoed on each rung of the stairs as loudly as my heartbeat did in my ears. The only other sound was that of dripping water, and that was more than enough for an unnerving experience, given the circumstances.

The basement area was not very well lit, so if anything were to jump out at me, I could be at a disadvantage.

There were three doors I found down here, and two of them were locked. The armory and the morgue. Going into a morgue didn't seem like a good idea, so I didn't even bother trying to unlock the door. As I stood in front of the door to the armory, I realized that unlike the other electronically locked doors in the police station, this one stayed locked even if the power was cut off.

I tried to slide the key card through the slot, but the reader kept giving me an error message.

I was going to have to supply power to the door somehow. I wished Marshall would have told me that.

There was another corner in the basement that was hidden in the shadows, and I found an unaccounted door marked "Security Generator". I pushed the door open and straight ahead was a switchboard. The switchboard was active on one side, but not the other. After moving the appropriate switches into the ON position, the generator behind me started to hum. More lights within the room started to come on, illuminating it enough for me to see a dog laying down in the back.

The moment it realized that it wasn't alone, it charged at me with a vengeance. I spotted several patches of missing skin all over its body and it glistened in a disgusting way, as if it just bathed in a a pool full of phlegm.

Much like the zombies, I could smell the air of death associated with it, and I quickly dodged it after it lunged at me. Once it missed, my handgun was already in hand. I took aim and fired, splitting its diseased looking head in two.

On its neck was a collar that indicated it was once part of the K-9 unit. This t-Virus, whatever it was, sure as hell didn't discriminate.

Now with the power back on, I went back to the armory and slid the card through the reader.

SCANNING R.P.D IDENTIFICATION CARD…

LIEUTENANT KEVEN D. MARSHALL

CLASS S CLEARANCE

ACCESS GRANTED

I guess Lieutenant Marshall was a real big shot here.

The door slid open and I walked into the armory.

Lieutenant Marshall was only half right. The armory did not have much of anything. There were a few clips of ammo and two cases of shells. I reloaded the Remington and pocketed the remaining shells. All the lockers were ravaged and empty. The doors looked as if they had been ripped off with incredible force.

All except for one.

I went to the lone, untouched locker and opened it. Inside, I found a submachine gun that was fully loaded. There didn't seem to be any ammo for it anywhere. I took the gun and strapped it over my shoulder. There was also a side pack. I could always use the extra pockets for any ammo that I might find.

As I reached for it, I instantly thought of Claire. Those pink shorts didn't have much in the way of pockets. She would be better served with this.

I left the side pack behind and left the armory, leaving the door open in case she came this way. The only other door here led to the garage.

The door was slightly ajar. There were a few dozen cars neatly lined up in the garage, but otherwise, the place was deserted.

More reason for me to be on high alert.

On the far end of the garage, I noticed one of the S.W.A.T. vans of the R.P.D., riddled with bullet holes.

Click!

I knew that sound. Someone was in here and ready to fire on me.

Before I could turn around to face my attacker, my gun was shot out of my hand.

I should have been worried at how easily I was disarmed, but I couldn't gather up the nerve to be upset wit the beautiful woman aiming her Glock at me.

She walked up to me with a slightly relieved look in her eyes. "I'm sorry. When I saw the uniform, I thought you were another zombie."

Her voice had a maturity to it that I thought only heroines in comic books had. It had a sassy edge to it, too.

My kind of woman.

Of course, I couldn't let her think that I was geeked out about her, no matter how hot I thought she was.

"Who are you?"

She bent over and picked up my gun, handing it back to me. "My name is Ada. Ada Wong."

"Okay. And what are you doing here? You don't look like a cop."

She shrugged. "There's a reporter named Ben who's holed himself up here in the cell block and I need to get to him."

"What for?"

"He might have information on the location of my boyfriend, John."

There was something spiteful in the way she said _John._

"What makes you think he knows anything?"

"He's one of those sleazy reporters. His kind are into all kinds of stuff."

I looked on as she navigated herself toward the S.W.A.T. van. She ran her hand across the outside of it as if analyzing it somehow. "This van is barring the entrance to the cell block. I've been trying to find another way in, but I haven't been able to. Could you please give me a hand to move this?"

I tried to fight off the weakness I suddenly felt in my knees. Not only was she hot, but she knew how to get her way without making it seem obvious.

A true professional.

Didn't mean I was going to say no.

I holstered my weapon and joined her at the back of the van. With our combined effort, we were able to push the van enough where the entrance to the cell block could be seen.

The smell of Ada's perfume was intoxicating. Something like cherry vanilla. With a smell like that, there was no way I could lose track of her.

After the van came to a stop, she flashed me another one of her warm smiles before placing her hand on my chest. As I looked into her deep, brown eyes, I could feel myself slowly being reeled in.

"Please, forgive my manners. I never did ask you your name."

"I'm...I'm Leon," I said awkwardly.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Leon. It's comforting to finally see someone who isn't a zombie...and cute, too."

My brain went numb. I was unable to say anything.

She smiled at me again as if to say, "I got him" and walked towards the cell block entrance. I followed behind her and we both went to the electronic gate that led to the prison cells.

Once inside, it was relatively quiet. There were dozens of empty cells with all off the doors open, except for one. As Ada and I walked over to the one locked cell, I made out the form of a man, sprawled out on a mattress as if there wasn't a nightmare happening around him.

For some reason, that really pissed me off.

"You must be Ben, huh?" I said. "Get your ass up, now!"

He rolled his arm off his face to see who was bothering him. He rubbed at his eyes tiredly as he came closer to us.

Ada was right on the money when she said he was sleazy. His slicked back ponytail and cheap loafers spelled scumbag in my book.

"What the hell do you want, man? Don't you see I'm trying to sleep here?"

I looked over at Ada, who was studying Ben intently. "Is this him?"

She nodded, but kept her eyes on him. "Ben, you told the city officials that you knew something about what's happened here in the city. What did you tell them?"

He crossed his arms in front of his chest. "And just who the hell are you, lady?"

"I'm trying to find my boyfriend. His name is John. He worked for a branch of Umbrella, based in Chicago, and then six months ago, he vanished. I've been trying to find him ever since. I heard a rumor that he was here in Raccoon City."

"I don't know shit," Ben said, "and even if I did, why the hell would I tell you?"

This guy was a real asshole...

"Shit, with an attitude like that, I say we just leave him in there," I said, balling my fist in irritation. "Where the hell is the key to this cell, anyway?"

Attached to a small chain around his neck, Ben flaunted the key. "I've got it right here, officer, but I ain't about to leave this cell. Those fucking zombies ain't the only things crawling around out there."

"You think you're safe in there?"

There was a thunderous roar that filled the cell block. It came from a sizable distance away, but still felt as if it were right next to me. Ben's eyes widened in fear as he slithered back towards the shadows of the cell.

"What was that?" Ada said pensively.

"Like I said, I ain't leaving this cell. Get the fuck outta here before you lead it right to me!"

"I'm not going anywhere," I said starkly. "I'm the only cop left in this building."

"What? You can't be serious?"

"Dead serious. So if you want to get out of here alive, then you're going to have to leave with me."

Ben sat down on his bed, shaken with fear. Whatever that sound was really rattled him. "Hey, do you even know how to get out of the city?"

"I'm working on it."

"I'll save you the trouble. The K-9 kennel is in the back of the building. Inside of the kennel is the entrance to the sewers. The sewers are your best chance to get out here, but it ain't gonna to be easy."

"Ben, don't be foolish," I said. "You can't stay here."

"No way, man. The moment I step out of this cell, that...that thing is gonna get me. You go on."

"Fine," Ada said. "I'm leaving."

**Chapter Six**

I'd only known Ada for a little over an hour and I could already tell that she was used to having her way, all the time. She refused to listen to me when I told her not to go down the sewer entrance alone.

Now that I was down here, I didn't like our chances together, either.

Along with the smelly sewer water were these freakishly large spiders that blocked the entrance with thick webs. I put the knife I got with my rookie kit to good use, slashing through the webs and finding the exit.

I was certain that Ada came this way. The trail of her cherry vanilla perfume was strong.

At the other end of the sewer tunnel was one door. When I went inside, I quickly observed that the room was shaped like an "I". I could see that even though we were underground, there was something far below us. Like a chasm. I picked up a small piece of pipe and tossed it down into the darkness.

I didn't hear it hit anything.

Across the narrow walkway was another door. Once I approached it, I could see that this door could not be opened by conventional means. No key hole.

No card reader.

But it was locked tight.

My guess was that it was the sewer entrance. I couldn't help but notice that there was a hole of some kind right in the middle of the door. With that type of shape, the number of things that could fit inside was endless. Rather than rack my brain on what it might be, I left the room, leaving the door for later.

As I stepped out, I saw a woman in red trying to reach an air duct. As a police officer, it was part of the job to be observant and there was no way that I could forget a body like that.

"Need a hand?"

Ada turned around abruptly, not realizing that I was behind her. "Leon, you...you startled me."

"You? Startled? Yeah right."

"Very funny, Leon," she said with a small smile. Ada took another look at the air duct that had proven to be too high for her. "Give me a boost. Maybe I can find something on the other side."

I stepped in front of the vent and dropped down on one knee. Ada must have been a cheerleader or something back in her high school days. There wasn't anything civilian about how she easily mounted my shoulders to climb inside the vent. She crawled into the vent and I waited to hear her feet hit the other side.

Instead, all I heard were gunshots.

"Ada!"

Without knowing what was on the other side of the air duct, I couldn't tell where Ada was or if she was okay.

After a couple of minutes, the gunfire ceased. Whether that was good or bad news would be told in time.

Ada wasn't any ordinary civilian. She clearly had a degree of expertise with weaponry. One that I couldn't begin to match.

I gave her a grace period of fifteen minutes before I moved on without her. Every so often, I would glance back at my watch, anxiously waiting for her to return.

The clock was ticking on fourteen minutes now.

"Leon? Are you still there?"

Ada's voice, as much as I had been expecting it, still scared the shit out of me. It wasn't as if the sewer tunnel was brimming with life.

"Ada, are you all right? Did you find anything?"

Through the air duct came flying a metal object. It was shaped like a disc, but looked liked something could fit inside the middle of it.

"Listen," said Ada, "I can't reach the ventilation hole. I'm going to have to find another way around. I'll catch up with you later."

"Ada, hold up! Where are you going?"

There wasn't any response coming from the air duct and I was sure that Ada ran off on me again.

My radio suddenly went off.

_"Leon, I found the girl. Where are you?"_

"I'm near a sewer entrance towards the back of the building. Is she all right?"

_"She's fine,_" Claire said anxiously. _"Leon, the Chief of the R.P.D. is on the loose, trying to kill off survivors. Be careful. We'll find a way to meet up with you later."_

"Wait, you met him?"

_"Yeah, I did."_

"Did he try anything?

_"No. That's the strange part."_

"In any case, keep your eyes open, all right?"

_"I'll buzz if anything comes up."_

The radio signal faded and I clipped it back onto my belt. Ada running off the way she did was starting to get annoying, and next time I ran into her, I was going to let her know about how reckless she has been.

Right now, I had to figure out what this strange metal object was for.

With the door being sealed shut in the "I" shaped room, there was no way for me to escape using the sewer entrance without getting it open. I placed the metal object into the space in the door and it fit perfectly. The door still didn't budge an inch.

Something was missing.

I would now have to find whatever it was that fit inside the metal object. Had to be something the size of a fist.

If I couldn't find it, I would have to find another way out.

Sloshing through the filthy sewer water, I made my way back upstairs into the K-9 kennel.

Someone had just been through here.

There were zombie bodies littered all over the ground.

Executed with precise head shots.

I exited the kennel and walked back towards the parking lot. There, I could hear more gunshots being fired, followed by the wail of the undead.

Getting a firm grip on my handgun, I went through the door to the parking lot, only managing to get the back of someone running through the door on the other end.

I only saw him for only a second, but he looked to be some kind of Special Ops solider. The gas mask, body armor, and assault rifle were all I needed to see that. He was carrying some kind of briefcase in his hand, but as fast as he was moving, it could have been anything.

I examined the handiwork he left behind. Over a dozen zombies, dropped by single head shots within a ten-second window. As good a shot I considered myself, I didn't think I could have pulled that off on my best day.

I didn't have anymore time to gawk in awe of what he did. I knew he would be long gone by the time I got through the door with no way for me to track him. Ignoring the mysterious figure, I crossed over the garage.

On the way back upstairs, I came across two more of those strange inside out creatures with the claws. They were surely no easy task individually, but in groups, escape was almost impossible.

Almost.

Their exposed brains made an easy target, especially when I was at a safe enough distance. Peeking around the corner, I was able to pick one off before the other had a chance to leap at me. By then, I had the Remington in hand and blasted it head in half when it got close.

Stepping over their bodies, I went back upstairs into the police station. The halls were still very quiet and I quickly zipped over the broken glass.

The one place I hadn't gone on the second floor was the office of the chief. It was right near the wreckage of the helicopter. My guess was that it was Claire that cleared the path with the plastic explosive fragments I found earlier.

The door to his office was unlike the others in the police station. It had a mahogany finish and made of some fine type wood.

Chief Irons sure did know how to waste money.

If I thought that his door was over the top, his office was even worse. There were stuffed animal hides pinned on almost every square inch of the walls.

The guy needed some serious help.

The absence of windows in his office should have been a sign that something was off about him.

As I stepped closer to his desk, I noticed that there was a pool of blood on it.

It was still fresh.

As my mind thought about whose blood that could have been, my eyes caught something lying in the Chief's seat.

A book.

I picked it up and thumbed through the pages, realizing that it was a journal. Many of the entries were ripped out, and the ones that remained, only confirmed that he needed help. I turned to one of the later entries, reading through it:

_September 26th,_

_I can't believe the audacity of those arrogant fools at Umbrella! Despite all of their promises and reassurances, they have managed to destroy my beloved town. The fine people of Raccoon City are now shadows of their former selves. I'm afraid that I somehow may have contracted the disease that has crippled my city. If that turns out to be true, I'll make sure to kill everyone!_

_September 27th,_

_Thanks in part to my plan to limit help from the outside, any type of police action regarding the outbreak will be all for nought. I have ensured that no will escape alive. There are only two exits now and both of them need special artifacts to unlock them. The fools that laughed behind my back for bringing in the precious artwork will writhe and die because of their ignorance. I've made sure to hide the Ruby Heart in the clock tower where no one would ever think to find it. Unfortunately for any who happens to find it, they'll still need the metal flatbed to unlock the emergency exit to the sewer system._

_September 27th,_

_I was always suspicious of that transfer officer, Marshall. After conducting countless background checks on him, I had continued failing to find anything meaningful. Then that good for nothing, William Birkin, finally came through with pivotal information. It turns out that this Lieutenant Marshall isn't even a real police officer, but a secret government agent. Why he was sent to Raccoon City still eludes me, but perhaps I will find out when I force him to talk._

_September 28th,_

_After having enough time to witness the tragedy that has befallen my city, I have decided that I will hunt down the remaining survivors. Just a few hours ago, I shot that annoying rookie, Buckley, in the back. I watched him writhe in pain with pure satisfaction, drowning in a pool of his own blood. The look in his eyes was absolutely lovely. Like fine art. I wonder if Mayor Warren's daughter is still alive. I allowed her to escape, only so that I could take much pleasure in hunting her down. A prize so beautiful and elegant should only be shadowed by my hand. Yes, yes. I'm going to take much delight in my trophy. Frozen in the pose that I have chosen to give her._

_September 28th,_

_I suppose the government training Marshall received on the come up has paid off. No one has ever escaped my sights before. I had him right where I wanted him, and the ingrate escaped me. No matter. I was still able to catch him with a shot to his chest. He won't survive much longer._

_However, as much as I want to watch him bleed to death, I grow tired of Marshall. I have new game that has entered my quarry. A young woman, who happens to share a rather striking resemblance to S.T.A.R.S. Officer, Chris Redfield, walked into my office just a little over an hour ago. She seemed overly concerned about the safety of Birkin's daughter. The little bitch will bleed and die just like all the others. I will make no exceptions._

_I always take more pride for prized game and this young woman is as beautiful as she is lucky. I'll make sure to have a little fun with her before I put a bullet through her skull._

I closed the journal shut, unable to stomach any more of the shit I read. Chief Irons was truly a demented man. After everything I'd read, he seemed to have Claire in his sights. Even if she wasn't the run of the mill civilian, she had no chance against that damn psycho.

What I wanted to know was what would drive a man over the edge to do this? The nightmare that Claire and I were experiencing would never push me to the point where I'd want to kill her.

Perhaps there was more to Chief Irons than anyone might have been willing to admit.

As unforgiving as his journal was, it did answer one very important question: How to get out of the city through the sewer. All I had to do was go up to the clock tower and find this Ruby Heart. With a name like that, it most certainly had to be some type of jewel.

After reading his journal, it made me think about who Lieutenant Marshall really was. If he really wasn't a cop, why was he here? He seemed to know more than what a cop should, given the effort that was used to cover up what happened at the Arklay Mountains. If I saw him again, he would have to answer to me.

I knew that Claire was safe, plus she had the young girl with her. But, I had no idea where Ada was. Next time, I would make sure that she stayed with me, no matter what.

**Chapter Seven**

The clock tower to the police station wasn't too difficult to find. I was practically at the door earlier before I went to check out the giant canister that fell out of the sky. Now that I had a clear idea what a "T-103" was, I went back up to the third floor of the station.

There was nothing spectacular about the clock tower. It had to be one of the least kempt areas of the station.

A good reason why no one would think to look for anything here.

Having a good understanding of how sadistic Chief Irons was, it should have been no surprise to me that the Ruby Heart was no where in plain sight.

The room was very dark, and the only source of light came from the stale cast of the moon through a very small and cloudy window.

Attached to my belt was a small, but bright flashlight, and I attached it to the VP70. That way, if anything sprang out of the dark, I'd be ready.

There was narrow, wooden scaffolding above, and I climbed to where the gears of the clock tower were. Nothing seemed out of place here. All the gears were in sync and ready to roll at the flip of a switch. I pushed the red button, and the gears started moving, creating a gong like sound throughout the police station.

Unless there was some type of secret passage here, it didn't seem I'd find the jewel at all.

I pressed the button again, and the gears to the tower froze in place. My ears were still ringing from the sting of bell. As I waited for them to clear, I noticed that the button to the bell was glowing when the mechanism was off.

Odd.

After getting another look at the framework of the machinery, I realized that the plate covering the button could be removed. I used the butt of the VP70 and tapped away at it a few times. Inside, was a finely cut red jewel, the size of a fist. About the same size that would fit in that weird metal object I found earlier.

Had it not been for the glow, I would not have thought the jewel would be there.

I pried it loose from its encasing and slipped it into my pocket. Once I did that, a panel in the nearby wall opened up.

A secret passageway in a police station? This place had to have been designed by a criminal, I thought.

I walked over to the open partition in the wall and peered into what looked like an old dust shoot.

I wonder where this goes?

Through the door, the sudden crash of glass and wood ruptured through the main hall of the police station. I could clearly hear the cry of the undead, filtering through the once proud building. I opened the door and I was shaken at the sight before me.

Just two flights down, I could not even see the floor anymore. Not one inch of the place wasn't occupied by a wandering zombie. What was more disturbing was that I recognized one of them.

Walking aimlessly in an R.P.D. uniform was former Sergeant Marvin Branaugh. His once milk chocolate skin was now a sickly purple with blood seeping through his eyes and ears.

He was no longer human.

I closed the door and stared at the dust shoot.

There was no way I was going to get through all of those zombies. Their numbers and proximity were just too much for me to overcome. I would need to find another way to get back to the sewer.

_Just zip down the shoot, Leon. What's the worst that could happen?_

If there really was a higher power watching over me, I was more than relieved after I zipped through the dust shoot. I landed right in the cell block, way past the hordes of zombies occupying the halls of the police station. But I had to move quickly. It was only a matter of time before they would find their way down here, too.

I reached for the door to the kennel when I heard a scream coming from the cell block.

Ben…

I ran towards the cell block, shotgun in hand. The fuse to the door had blown, so now I had to move the door by hand, which by all accounts, was a total bitch.

Once I got inside, I saw Ben laying on the ground with a deep wound across his chest. The way the blood was pouring out, there was no way he would survive much longer.

I knelt down, surprised at how conscious he still was at this point.

"Ben! What...what did this to you?"

Ben struggled to breathe, let alone talk. The blood from his chest was flowing out more rampantly. "Ain't this some bullshit...you really...you really led that thing to me…" he said, with a wry smile.

"What are you talking about? What thing?"

"Nev...never mind that. I...I was so close to getting the story..."

"Story?"

With the remainder of his strength, a hoarse laugh escaped his lips. He put his hands up, miming the quote symbol with his fingers. "Bitter Irony...nice catch, huh? Your so called police chief was in all the whole thing. Um...Umbrella paid him to turn a blind eye to everything they did. I always knew there was something dirty about him."

"Ben, stop talking," I said, reaching for his arm. He slapped my hand away, and grabbed the hem of my uniform.

"I ain't gonna make it, kid. You gotta make sure you tell everything you know about what's happ…happ…"

"Ben!"

Ben's unseeing eyes were staring up at the dim lights of ceiling, reflecting a life that mirrored Raccoon City. Gone in an instant. I went over to his cell and saw a giant hole in the wall. Something with incredible force broke though.

Could it have been that B.O.W. I encountered earlier?

The door to the cell block slowly opened and I heard someone struggling to get inside. As I stepped out of Ben's cell, I saw Ada squeezing her way through. She spotted Ben's dead body on the ground. She kneeled over to check his pulse, almost in a vain attempt to be thorough.

There was hardly any emotion in her eyes when she looked up at me. "Any idea what did this to him?"

Seeing her now made me terse. "I have a better question: Where did you run off to?"

"Leon, I-,"

"No more games, Ada! You know something and you're not telling me. What is it!?"

Ada tilted her head to the side as if she were wondering if I was demanding an answer from her. "I don't know any more than you do," she simply said.

I knew she was lying. Even though she did a masterful job of keeping her face straight, I knew she was lying.

Lying with a purpose.

She got back up to her feet and headed towards the door.

"Hey, wait! Where are you going now?"

"To the chemical plant. Something tells me that I'll find John there."

Ada pushed her way through the door before I could say anything. The old appear-disappear-reappear act was getting really getting old.

I started to go after her when Claire's radio transmission burst through the cell block.

_"Leon. Are you there? We're leaving."_

"Leaving? Those streets are still crawling with hundreds of zombies!"

_"It'll be all right. I've found a secret passage in the Chief's office that leads into the sewer."_

"That's too dangerous, Claire! He could be lurking down there, waiting for you!"

There was a gaping silence that seemed to stretch for a mile before she spoke again. "_I don't think Chief Irons will be giving anyone anymore trouble."_

"What?"

_"I ran into him again and he tried to kill me. Before he got the chance, he was pulled down underground by some...some powerful creature. When I went down there, his body was torn in half."_

With all the crimes against humanity that man committed, he still got off too easy…

_"Follow us later."_

"Claire, Claire! Wait!"

The transmission ended and I was just put off by two women in a matter of minutes.

_Why in the world doesn't anyone listen to me? I'm the one with the damn badge!_

**Chapter Eight**

With the Ruby Heart in my possession, I was determined to get the hell out of Raccoon City. I made by way back to the I-shaped room underneath the K-9 kennel, where I found Ada firing at some type of monstrosity.

At first, I thought that it was that trench coat wearing freak I ran into earlier, but this monster looked far more menacing. It surely wasn't human, but it was at some point. With half a head of hair, plain clothes, as well as some kind of ID badge pinned on its shirt, I was certain of it.

"Leon, take a piece of the action, would you?" Ada said coolly.

I took my handgun gun, ready to fire at its head when I saw something stick out from its shoulder.

A giant eyeball.

It made a sickening sound as it rolled around inside the shoulder. I knew my face was twisted up in disgust. Ada kept firing at it, seemingly doing no damage.

"Anytime you're ready, Leon!"

Instead of using the handgun, I unstrapped the submachine gun, clicked the lever to full auto, and held the trigger down. As I was firing on it, the monster reached over and grabbed one of the iron rails from the catwalk, snapping it off like a twig.

With one ferocious swing, it aimed for Ada. She performed the most graceful backflip I had ever seen to evade certain death.

As it tried to recover from its miss, it stumbled slightly, and was on the edge of the rail. These submachine gun rounds weren't doing much damage, either. I ran through the whole magazine in less than thirty seconds, coming away with nothing but one, angry mutated freak.

Ada took aim with her Glock and fired a round at its head. It screamed as wildly as it swung, standing even closer to the edge. With its back turned to me, this was our best chance.

Taking off into a full sprint, I ran toward the monster as it was trying to recover and threw all of my one hundred and seventy-five pound frame into it.

It felt like running into a brick wall...reinforced by steel.

But, it was enough to knock it over, and down into the darkness of the unknown below. As it roared, its snarly voice trailed until I couldn't hear it anymore. Even a monster like that shouldn't have been able to survive that kind of fall.

I slung the submachine gun over my shoulder as I walked over to Ada. There was an absent look in her eyes when she looked at me.

I grabbed her by her arm and pulled her up. "Ada, what the hell were you thinking? Running off like that was just plain stupid! You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"I...I know," she said softly.

I took a deep breath, mostly because I didn't expect her to concede so easily. "Look...as a police officer, it's my responsibility to look out for you, but we're not going to get out of here alive if you keep taking off like that. We've got to stick together, all right?"

Her slender, creamy arms crossed over her chest. "Fine. We'll do this your way."

**Chapter Nine**

"Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait...you mean to tell me that he wasn't even in to you at first? That's bullshit and you know it!"

"Why do you find that so hard to believe, Leon?" Ada said with a small smile. "I guess I wasn't his type."

"So why the sudden change of heart?"

It was only for a moment, but her eyes lit up. "I have a way of…getting what I want."

I could only imagine.

Claire had radioed me her whereabouts, shortly after Ada and I made it past that monster. Knowing that Claire and the girl were safe, at least for the time being, put me a bit more at ease. After escaping a near death situation, tensions were starting to ease up between Ada and me.

For the past hour, she told me about her relationship with this John guy, and I never really got the feeling that she cared all that much about him.

She could tell me how nice of a guy he was all she wanted, but Ada didn't seem like the type of woman who cared about anyone, let alone nice guys.

The underpass of the sewer system was a myriad of tunnels. The water levels were controlled enough were it never got above our knees. With the flat shoes Ada was wearing, I knew that her feet had to be cold.

"So what about you, cowboy? Got a lady back on your ranch?"

"Not anymore," I told her in a flat voice. "Things didn't work out."

"What happened?"

"Long story short, she hated the fact that I wanted to be a cop, so she kind of pushed me into making a choice: her or my career. Not hard to see which one I picked."

"I can't blame you for that one." Ada had a bright smile on her face, but an even warmer glow in her eyes. It was only for a moment, but I knew it was there. "If living in Allentown is as dreadful as you make it seem, I would have left, too."

After sharing another laugh, we both came up on a work station that had a small lift and a row of rusty lockers. Scanning the room for any items, the only thing of use was high grade wrench. The jaws on this tool were still rough. It couldn't have been used all that often. If ammo ran short, I'd have no problem chucking this thing around for some breathing room.

After pocketing the wrench, Ada got on the lift and waved me over to join her. Once I did, she hit the call button and within moments, we were descending into the darkness below.

Underneath the work station was a poorly lit, T-shaped passage. I could clearly hear the sound of running water coming at the closest path. Ada and I both headed in that direction.

That was when the running footsteps started.

Ada took off on impulse, trying to see who it was. I didn't get the greatest look, but I caught a glimpse of a blonde woman in a white lab coat, rounding the corner, with Ada close behind.

She almost got her brains blown out for her troubles. Luckily, the mysterious woman had lousy aim, missing Ada by a mile. Still, it was so dark where Ada was that she couldn't see the attacker until she saw the muzzle flash.

Shot after shot danced around Ada in the darkness and I was getting worried. I didn't know why it took me so long to make a move, but I had to move now.

"Ada! Heads up!"

My timing couldn't have been any better.

For Ada at least.

Ada was completely defenseless and it was only a matter time before she got shot. I jumped in front of the barrage of bullets, tackling Ada to the cold metal floor.

A sharp pain ripped through my shoulder before I hit the ground. I turned my body in midair so that I would take the brunt of the fall. I guess that woman's aim wasn't all that lousy now. As I turned to look at my shoulder, I could feel the blood trickling underneath my uniform.

Not having eaten for over eight hours and battling zombies left me a little depleted. Dammit, I wished I could have taken the lunch my mom packed me. I left it behind in my jeep running for my life. The last image I saw was of Ada kneeling over me with an apologetic look in her eyes.

"Leon, stay here. I'll be back for you. I have to see who that woman was."

I tried to mutter a reply, but the only thing my mind could register was the oncoming darkness.

**Chapter Ten**

An abrupt tingling sensation on my right side forced my eyes to shoot open. My mouth was dry and my stomach cramped.

I was alive.

Was everything that happened a dream? Did I really meet Ada Wong? Was I really experiencing the nightmare that was Raccoon City? The warm feel of blood underneath my uniform answered all of my questions.

The last thing I remembered was Ada taking off.

Taking off after that blonde woman in the lab coat. I didn't get a good look to see who it was, but she looked like a scientist. Nonetheless, Ada's life was still in danger and I had to step in.

Now, with having no idea where she was to go along with being hurt, hungry and tired, I could have just given up then.

The image of my dad's face then popped into my head.

_Leon, you good for nothing, waste of air! You're never going to amount to anything if all you plan on doing is taking the easy way out all the time! I've raised you as best I could, boy! To make you the best man you could be. Us Kennedys are fighters. As lazy as you are, I could see that Kennedy spirit in you. Just try to make better use of it than your old man did._

The pain in my shoulder was great, but it didn't compare to the thought of letting down all of those who depended on me.

Claire.

The little girl.

Mom and dad.

Ada…

I mustered up some strength, slowly getting back up to my feet. Checking my shoulder was a serious pain. I'd never been shot before, and it hurt worse than I ever imagined. But I had to keep moving forward. The bleeding slowed a bit, but didn't truly stop. I was going to have to get this bullet out somehow.

But I had to find Ada first.

Navigating through the sewer system wasn't easy. All though there weren't many enemies down here, there were more than I had the strength to fight at the moment. The water level was as steady as it was when I first got here, but the further in I got, the more the smell of shit hit me.

At the end of the main passageway was a door that was blocked off by a rushing stream of piping hot water. Too dangerous to try to pass through without getting scolded.

To my left was another door, and it led to a waste pool with a rotating turn table in the center. The turntable was elevated towards the upper level. I walked over to control terminal and there was a rigid, hexagonal peg that needed to be turned to rotate the turntable.

I took out the wrench I found earlier and used it on the peg. After a bit of a struggle, I managed to turn it and the turntable slowly started coming down.

Once it came down, I crossed over the pool of sewage to the other side. Here, there were two doors and I could hear movement on the other side of one of them. Like someone going through files and tossing them on the floor.

Could it be Ada?

I braced my shoulder, trying to mentally numb the pain as I kicked the door open.

There was a gun already pointed at my head, but it wasn't Ada's Glock.

Lieutenant Marshall gave me a poignant stare before slowly lowering his Desert Eagle.

"I could hear you coming a mile away," he said blankly.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for a report. It has critical information on Umbrella's activities over the past six months." He noticed the blood on my uniform and tilted his head a bit. "Who shot you?"

"I don't know. Some strange woman."

"Let me take a look at that."

"Forget about it."

"If those monsters don't kill you, that bullet will."

"I'll manage," I said. "Look, I know about you being a government agent. Why are you here? Were you sent to spy on Chief Irons?"

Marshall gave me a disconcerted look, as if surprised that I found him out. He neatly placed the paperwork back on the desk and leaned on the edge.

"You really want to know?"

"I do."

"All right, listen. Chief Irons has been under investigation for the past three years. The government suspected that he had been taking bribes to kind of 'push everything they did under the rug'. However, he is quite an intelligent man, and has always found ways to keep his involvement with Umbrella from being exploited. So I was sent in to investigate."

"I get that part," I said, "but what's your stake in all of this?"

"For years, I have been monitoring the movements of Umbrella. I learned from a very reliable source that there was research activity taking place here, so I had my superiors forge the necessary documentation in order for me to keep a watchful eye on Irons."

I grabbed at my shoulder. "Was he suspicious of you at first?"

"I would say no. If anything, he felt threatened by me. After a just a year of being here, Mayor Warren wanted to promote me to Captain."

"Then the outbreak happened, I assume."

"Yes," he said. "Once the incident at the Arklay Mountains took place, I needed to get information from the remaining members of S.T.A.R.S., but Irons was adamant about keeping them away from me."

What Marshall was telling me started to put the perspective pieces together in my mind. I knew that the police station was very unconventional, and would take a great deal of money for it to look like it did. Money I knew that Chief Irons wasn't making on a police officer's salary.

"Who is William Birkin?" I asked.

"He's the head researcher of the Raccoon City facility. He's responsible for the creation of the G-Virus."

"G-Virus?"

"I don't know much about it, but what I do know is that it has greater potential than the t-Virus. I believe it's because of him that an outbreak occurred here in the first place."

"Umbrella destroyed this city. If we don't do something, they'll destroy the world."

"I'm glad you see things that way, Leon," Marshall said. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a file and handed it to me. "This is all the Intel I gathered on Umbrella and William Birkin over the past few months. You'll find all the information you need on their activities there."

I took it from him, but not before I gave him an off look. "Why are you giving me this?"

"I trust you," he simply said.

"Trust me? What do you intend on accomplishing?"

Marshall walked over to me and looked right into my eyes. His broad body cast a shadow over me that would have intimidated a lesser man. "I need you to get this information to the right people. I'm counting on you."

"Why me?"

He reached over to his shirt and ripped the R.P.D. badge off and handed it to me. "As far as the authorities are concerned, Lieutenant Keven Marshall is dead. You have to survive. You need to survive, got it?"

I looked at the badge that Marshall gave me, thinking to myself why he would entrust me with this information. He continued shuffling through the various paperwork scattered on the desk. The pain in my shoulder was coming back, and I knew I had to find Ada fast.

"I'll do my best to get this information to the authorities. I don't know if I'll see you again, but if I don't, I just want to say thanks."

He looked up at me, cocking one eyebrow up. "For what?"

"For believing in me."

"We'll meet again. I promise you." Marshall moved from the desk and reached into his holster, retrieving his customized Desert Eagle. He racked the slide back, loading a round into the chamber before handing me the gun. "Take this with you. It'll come in handy."

"What? I can't take this. What are you going to use to protect yourself?"

"Don't worry about me, kid. I'll be all right. Just go on. Get out of here."

The look in his eyes was resolute. There was no talking him out of it. Rather than try to argue, I turned to leave the room with the gun.

"One last thing...if you make it to the underground facility, you can use the high speed train to escape Raccoon City. The train can be used as a shield to help you get through the tunnels if there happens to be unwanted company there."

He never looked up at me when he spoke, but his voice carried an authoritativeness that I took as a means for succeeding. Failure was not an option.

"I won't let you down," I said as I left the room.

Outside the door, I examined the Desert Eagle closely. It had a good weight to it and looked like it packed a powerful punch. With this fully loaded monster, I would use it only when I was left no other option. The likelihood of finding ammo for this thing was slim to none. I holstered the weapon on my thigh, next to the VP70 and went on to continue my search for Ada.

**Chapter Eleven**

Crossing through a dimly lit tunnel, I tried to fight the mounting pain I felt in my shoulder. My vision was blurring in and out, and I slowly felt my strength fading. To make matters worse, the smell of garbage floated through the steamy air. As I got further inside the tunnel, the smell became stronger.

At the end of the tunnel, I heard several gunshots. Maybe whoever shot me was there.

I got a firm grip on my handgun and slowly drew it out, making my way to the end.

Once I got closer to the end, I saw an opening where the gunshots were coming. I put my back on the edge of the opening and peered inside. It was a vast pit of garbage and raw sewage. The smell was beyond awful. Staying here for any amount of time would result in the stench sticking on my clothes for a while.

On the other side of the pit, I could barely make out Ada, shooting wildly into the sewage.

_What the hell is she shooting at?_

"Ada!"

She looked up for just a moment, a wary look in her eyes. "Leon, get back! There's a-,"

The sewage in front of me started bubbling. The bubbles then moved my way at incredible speed. Despite my condition, my reflexes saved me again from certain death.

Out of the water emerged a set of jaws that could swallow ten grown adults whole at once. I rolled back into the tunnel, trying to get my bearings straight as my strength was still fading. There was no mistaking the nearly fifty foot crocodile that was breathing heavily in the tunnel. It's body was extremely wide, taking up the entire passage. There was no way I was going to get around it without getting gobbled up.

Its breath reeked of garbage, and there were errant shreds of waste and what looked like flesh, hanging from its giant teeth. I peeled back, trying to get some distance in between me and the larger than life reptile.

Its roar shook the entire tunnel, causing dust to fall from the ceiling. After firing a few rounds, it appeared that the 9mm slugs were just bouncing off with no effect. I didn't even draw any blood, but I had to keep moving back because the croc was advancing on me so fast.

I lunged around another corner once it snapped its massive jaw at me again, feeling its hot breath riding down the back of my uniform as barely escaped again.

_How the hell am I going to get passed this overgrown suitcase?_

Things were looking real grim. I was half expecting Lieutenant Marshall to come busting through the door with guns-a-blazing, but what could he have done?

I could have gone through the door that I came in from, but it would not allow me to get to Ada. I kept moving backwards when I tripped hard on something that I didn't see. Crashing down on my back, I was able to spot what it was in front of me that tripped me.

A propane gas tank. On the near wall was the slot where the tank had been. It must have fallen out when the place started shaking.

This was going to be my chance.

I kicked the tank towards the croc's snapping jaws and it scooped it up, trying to puncture it with its jagged teeth. I made sure to get a reasonable distance away from the killer croc before taking aim with the last round in my VP70.

I lined up the sights of the handgun right with the "Highly Combustible" sign on the side of the tank.

_Sweet dreams, croc._

I pulled the trigger and at that moment, everything seemed to slow to a tilt as my last round raced toward the tank.

I could the see the explosion of the tank before my body could react, and I was knocked back by the force, hitting my head hard against the near wall.

As hard as my head was hit, at least I could still say that I had one.

My reptilian counterpart wasn't so lucky.

I slowly got up, running my hand over where I knew I'd get a knot later.

No blood.

Once I got to my feet, I moved back into the tunnel, careful as I walked over the remains of the fierce croc. Half of its head was obliterated by the explosion and there were chunks of bone and flesh scattered everywhere. I gagged, trying not to throw up, but it was too late.

I puked all over my boots as the hot, stuffy air didn't do much to help me.

After reaching the end of the tunnel, I spotted Ada with her back against a wall on the other side. I was certain that her experience with the crocodile left her a little shaken. I jumped down into the pit, making sure not to fall into the foul sewage. If a croc that big could remain underwater in here unnoticed, the muck had to be deep.

I crossed the rugged terrain, and made my way to Ada. She looked up at me and put her arms up to catch me as I fell from exhaustion.

"Leon, are you all right?"

"Never been better."

"Don't worry. I'm going to patch you up."

**Chapter Twelve**

I opened my eyes and found myself lying in the control station where we first came into the sewer system. There was an unnatural tightness in my shoulder and when I turned my head to look at it, I saw that not only had the bullet been removed, my wound was thoroughly cleansed and bandaged.

The hum of the nearby machinery soothed my nerves. I felt more at ease now than I had since I arrived in Raccoon City. I looked over to my left, catching Ada staring at me with a soft look on her face.

"Glad you're finally awake, cowboy," she said. "How's the shoulder?"

"A lot better," I replied, testing how taut the tape was. The dressing was perfect.

"Leon, I...I wanted to apologize for running off on you again. I put us both in danger."

"The only thing that matters right now is that we're both alive."

She looked away from me and placed her gaze toward the floor. "It's my fault that you got hurt."

"And it's because of you that I'm okay, now. You saved my life, Ada."

She turned her head back up, eyeing me with an expression I hadn't seen until now: gratitude.

Despite everything that happened until this point, there was nothing I wanted to do right now than kiss Ada. The timing of my desire wasn't conventional, but nothing about Raccoon City was conventional anymore.

"I just found out...that John is dead…"

"What?"

"The woman that attacked us...she told me everything when I caught up with her. The incident at the mansion, how Umbrella tried to steal a sample of the G-Virus from her husband, and the outbreak of Raccoon City. John had become a zombie and was killed when the mansion was destroyed."

Normally, I'd be happier that my only competition to Ada was out of the way, but there really wasn't anything to cheer about. To endure the fate of a mindless zombie, in my opinion, was far worse than death. This John guy had no way to escape it and Ada was no worse for wear as a result.

"I'm sorry to hear that," I managed to say.

"It's okay, Leon, really. Now that I know he's gone, I have to get out of the city, and put this chapter of my life behind me."

"I'll see to it that we get out of here...together."

Another smile formed on the corner of Ada's lips as she sat on the other table, watching me. As I tried to sit up, I still felt some light headedness.

"Here, Leon," Ada said as she walked over to me, her feet padding lightly on the floor. There was a candy bar in her hand. "I know it's not much, but you look like you could really use it."

I took the candy bar and tore into it hungrily. "Thanks."

There was a comfortable silence in the room for about five minutes when Claire suddenly popped into my mind.

"We've got to get going. I've got to catch up with Claire."

Ada gave me a puzzled look. It looked like for just a moment, there was jealousy in her eyes. "Who's Claire?"

"A friend of mine. We came into the city around the same time and have been on the run ever since. She's got a young girl with her and we need to get out before things get worse."

"Young girl?" Ada said thoughtfully. "I'll help you find them. Are you sure you're ready to go? Do you need more time to rest?"

"I'm fine," I replied, wincing as I swung my legs over the edge of the table. "The more time we spend here, the smaller our chances of escaping become."

Ada came over to the desk and helped me off. The candy bar did the trick, at least for the time being. The bullet wound still hurt, but at least it stopped bleeding.

"Which way to now?"

"Straight ahead. If we can get to the research facility, we can make our escape."

"How are you so sure?"

My face flared into a smile. "Call it a hunch."

**Chapter Thirteen**

When all else fails, go back to basics.

My dad used to tell me that all the time. I applied that concept to the control board for the boiling hot water blocking the exit when it met with the heavy duty wrench I was carrying. After giving it a good couple of whacks, the board shorted and the water stopped flowing. Ada and I went through the exit , and went down the narrow passage.

As we got there, we both could see a suspension cart hanging over a boundless, empty void of darkness below it. I went over to the controls and pressed the ON button. The lights inside the cart came to life. Circling around to the door, I opened it and followed Ada inside.

The rancid smell of death hit us hard.

There were two dead bodies inside. From the look of it, they had to have been dead a few days. They were wearing uniforms that read "U.B.C.S." on the back of their vests. Whoever they were, they sure as hell weren't civilians. I swallowed my reservations about getting close to their bodies at this stage of decomposition, but they had ammo to spare.

The first corpse yielded three magazines for the submachine gun. The second had a keycard card that read "Master Key". It was a black keycard with Umbrella's insignia on it, designated to the underground research facility.

We were getting close.

Ada, wasting no time, pressed the activation button for the cart, sending us over the bottomless ravine below at a steady pace.

Halfway across, something landed on top of the cart, shaking it violently. Ada fell to the floor from the sudden impact. I grabbed on to the nearest support bar to hold myself up.

"What was that?" Ada asked.

Before I could utter an answer, a bloodied claw plowed through the roof of the cart, almost impaling Ada. She moved out of the way and quickly fired on the claw. There were heavy footsteps on top of the cart and the claw barreled through again, this time closer to me. With a fresh magazine of submachine ammo, I let loose a spray of rounds on the claw, sending blood flying everywhere.

Echoing throughout the cart was the pained yell of the creature above. It sounded a lot like the pipe wielding fruit loop I came across on my way to the sewer entrance, but I didn't remember it having claws.

It might have been something else.

Whatever it was, it ran away for the time being.

I could see a factory of some sort coming up just ahead. Ada got back up to her feet and joined me at the controls.

"Is that the facility?"

"I don't know for sure," I said. "We'll check it out when we get there."

Within moments, the cart docked itself. As I stepped outside, I could see that it was indeed a factory.

Umbrella owned.

There was a sudden chill in the air after we stepped out. Walking into the factory, the song of the infected rang true throughout the old building.

"Stay on your toes, Ada."

"Just lead the way and I'll follow."

The old machinery in the factory looked to not have been used for quite some time. There didn't seem to be anything that wasn't covered in a thick layer of rust and grime.

Ada and I continued moving forward, dropping zombies that got in our way. Not only was she beautful, but I truly admired her cool under pressure. Aside from maybe Claire, I couldn't think of any other girl that could have made it this far.

The further we moved inside, the more it seemed to me as if the factory was never used to begin with. It appeared to be more of a front than anything. The top most floor of the factory was an old control tower, used to oversee the entire area.

Ada walked over to one of the monitors that was lit and started punching some keys.

She turned around with a frown on her face. "It looks like we need some kind of key for the lift," she said. "There's a security room out back. Maybe the key is in there."

"I'll go check it out. Stay here, okay?"

"Yes, officer," she said with a smile.

I went through the door out back and saw that there was a huge opening in the ground. As I stepped closer, it was obvious that a giant lift was stationed here. My guess was that Claire must have used it to head down there with that young girl. To my right was a smaller lift, big enough to fit only one person. I used it to go down one level and could see the door to the security station at the other end.

Once inside, I immediately saw that there were a plethora of monitors and cameras mounted throughout the place. At the back of the station was a peg hook block with several keys on it. I went through each one until I found the one marked UP KEY.

I was ready to head out once I grabbed the key, but stopped for a moment to take a gander at the file that Marshall had given me while we were in the sewers. My curiosity got the best of me:

-Agency Record

Subject: Brian Irons/Raccoon Research Facility

Agent: Keven Marshall/Senior Officer

September 25th, 1998

File #1

Transfer of encoded data was a success: After getting hold of the primary target's ID badge, I was able to copy the encrypted data, allowing access to the underground research facility. In order to avoid any added attention, I made sure to make visits to the facility around the same time that the primary target was present.

The main laboratory had hundreds of vials in enclosed cases. I suspect that it is indeed the T-Virus. Also upon entering, I did notice that many of the ventilation shafts had been tampered with and had been recently occupied. It is possible that I may not be the only one infiltrating the facility. The G-Virus has great value and it stands to reason that rival companies may want the G-Virus.

File#2

Second visit to research facility: I witnessed, first hand, the acceptance of a monetary exchange between primary target and lead researcher, William Birkin. My suspicions of primary target have now been confirmed.

William Birkin's wife, Annette, is also a researcher, and has worked almost exclusively with him on the development of the G-Virus. One afternoon, I spotted a young girl, anywhere between the ages of ten and twelve, wandering the facility unsupervised. Interestingly enough, Annette inserted what looked like a G-Virus sample into the locket around the girl's neck, leading me to believe that she may be their child. If this proves to be true, the child is in grave danger.

Upon further investigation of the research facility, I have discovered several varieties of B.O.W.s in stasis.

Of the B.O.W. specimens I have examined, I find three of them that stand out from the rest, making them a source for continued research by Umbrella:

Licker/MA-132: A secondary mutation occurs within the cells of an infected individual, causing the skin to shed completely and their heads to expand and retract back into shape, inside-out, resulting in an exposed cerebrum. Logically, I see this as a potential anatomical weakness. The secondary mutation robs them of field vision, but my continued observations have led me to believe that their senses of smell and touch have been enhanced. The resulting mutation also endows them with claws and what appears to be a sword-like tongue, capable of impaling a human torso with ease. Intelligence is relatively low, and the B.O.W.s are not easy to control, due to their more dominant, baser instincts. Considered to be most effective when attacking in packs. I find that their anatomy puts upon them an increased sensitivity to acids. The acids break down the muscle fibers of their bodies at an accelerated rate, which if exploited, makes them useless. However, there seems to be much room for perfecting this particular strain of B.O.W. Because of its constant flux of mutation.

Ivy/Plant 43: After going deep within the files of Birkin on his main computer, I was able to pull up an archive based on a report of the giant, carnivorous plant that housed itself at Point 42 at the Arklay Mountain estate. The B.O.W.s known as "Ivy" are similar in appearance, but significantly smaller. However, their smaller size should not, under any circumstances, be mistaken for weakness. A bipedal organism, each Ivy is granted a degree of locomotion, but is relatively slow moving. Its greatest asset as a B.O.W. appears to be its high resistance to gunfire. Small arms fire does minimal damage, but the Ivy is highly susceptible to heat in excess of eight hundred degrees, Fahrenheit, as well as any form of incendiary weapon. As its primary method attack, the Ivy uses its whip-like "arms" to ensnare its prey and draw it towards its "mouth". The cavity in which prey is consumed also contains high levels of sulphur, resulting in almost all bodily fluids having an extremely high acidity. These acids are highly corrosive and can maim a human in mere seconds. Close proximity with this B.O.W. should be avoided at all times.

T-103/Tyrant: Extensive research has been conducted on the T-103, a Tyrant type B.O.W.. According to the decoded encrypted files of William Birkin, I have discovered that the T-103 is the first of the Tyrant types to be mass produced, and each unit displays a reasonable degree of intelligence. The T-103 is capable of following orders. Like the Ivy, the T-103 is highly resistant to gunfire, but unlike the Ivy, does not possess any discernible weaknesses. Fitted with inhuman strength and stamina, the T-103 is the first "success" among Tyrant B.O.W.s. It should be noted that the specially crafted limiter jacket is designed to control any secondary mutations, allowing Umbrella to maintain control of the T-103. Given time, this B.O.W. could prove to be the most dangerous type of all.

After collecting the data from Umbrella's main files, I will submit hard copies to the central office for processing and examination. It is integral that I maintain my cover as a police officer to easily gain access to the facility. However, due to the outbreak, delivery of this data is of the upmost importance.

I will personally arrange a means for data transfer if I am unable to extricate myself from the cold zone. The number of infected has grown beyond my means to eliminate them, but I will do whatever is necessary to get this information out.

After reading the document, it became harder to grasp exactly what I had become involved in. Marshall's detailed insight on Umbrella's activities was nothing short of remarkable. If anything, I felt better about helping him.

What really bugged me was the little girl walking around with Claire. Could she have been the daughter of William Birkin? And that woman who shot me…

Was that Annette?

I didn't really get a good look at her or the little girl, but they were both blonde, so it was possible, but I'd have to find Claire to be sure.

I neatly folded the file and put it back in my pocket. No matter what happened, I had to make sure that document was given to the proper government authorities.

Through my peripherals, I saw one of the security cameras all of a sudden go black. At first, I thought it was a blown fuse or something, but then another camera went down.

Then another.

I moved closer to the security post, looking through all the remaining monitors. The camera mounted right across from the door I came in from had a dark shadow cast onto it. Getting a closer look, I could see a figure marching methodically towards the camera.

It wasn't until the figure walked into the light that I clearly see the T-103 coming my way.

_How the hell did it find me here?_

This section of the security station was too narrow and would not grant me enough room to get around the T-103. Those methodical, heavy footsteps were getting closer. It was only a matter of time before the Tyrant closed in on me.

I quickly drew out the Desert Eagle I received from Marshall, silently cursing myself for having to use it so soon. The footsteps were getting louder and there was nowhere for me to run.

Then it turned the corner.

But something was _off_ about the T-103.

It seemed to be moving slower from the last time I faced off against it. There were several holes in the trench coat where dark blood was seeping through.

I could still see the bullet wound in its head where Marshall shot it earlier.

I took my own shot at its head.

The T-103 covered its eyes once my shot connected. It swung its arm wildly, trying to corner me with a powerful blow. I was able to get underneath its reach and run past it while it was still blinded.

Making a quick one eighty, I fired another shot, this time to the back of its head, and the T-103 collapsed onto one knee. While it was down, I charged at the monstrous imitation of a man, and tackled it over the railing. I watched it fall down below, impaling itself on an upturned table leg.

Right through the chest.

The T-103 seemed weaker than I would have expected, but I was in no way going to show that B.O.W. any sympathy.

I didn't see any foreseeable way for it to get up from that, but with these creatures, I didn't want to stick around to find out, either.

Down to my last six shots, I holstered the Desert Eagle and left the security room with the up key.

Ada was sitting up on the desk, expectantly, as I walked into the control room. "What happened? Did you get lost?"

"Not exactly," I said as I turned the key in its appropriate port. After a few minutes, I heard the turntable coming from underground to our location. "Come on. We're almost out of here."

Ada looked at me with a puzzled look in her eyes as she dismounted off the desk. "Are you sure about this, Leon? Do you really think we'll be able to escape?"

"Of course. I made you a promise. I'm not going to break it. Not when we're so close."

Ada smiled as she followed me to the turntable. The center of the turntable was fitted with a small convoy and Ada and I stepped inside. There was a bunk, toilet, and control station. If a bathroom was necessary, then the trip down must have been a long one.

Looking at the toilet reminded me that I had to pee some time ago after coming across that pipe wielding lunatic back at the police station. Some time between being shot and waking up, I must have relieved myself because I no longer felt the need to go at all anymore.

_Way to go, Kennedy..._

Ada sat down on the bunk, lost in her thoughts. The far away look in her eyes prompted me to sit next to her. Besides, it was a long trip down anyway.

"Everything all right? You seem a little tense."

Ada sighed as she looked at me. "I'm fine, Leon. It's just that...well, until I met you, I regretted even coming here."

"Why is that?"

"I came here to find John, but then it dawned on me that I wasn't even in love with him…"

"What...what are you saying, Ada?"

She turned her head to look at me, those soft chocolate eyes reeling me in. The corner of her lip trembled, just a little, but I saw it.

She was into me.

She reached over and rested her hand on my lap, giving me an expectant look. Sliding my arm across her waist, I pulled her closer to me. The warmth of her breath tickled my nose and I moved in to get closer. The smell of the cherry vanilla in her perfume hit me in waves. My heart was racing from the amount of excitement I felt, despite everything we had been through. My lips were on the verge of pressing hers before both of us suddenly fell onto the convoy floor.

I would have liked to believe that in the heat of the moment, we just happened to lose ourselves, but that was bonafide wishful thinking. The electronic lock on the door to the convoy was suddenly released. The turntable itself had just stopped moving abruptly, which caused our lips to hit the floor instead of each other.

"What the hell is going on?" I said. I was more irritated that I missed a golden chance with Ada than anything else.

"I think the lift has stopped."

"Let's go see what happened. I doubt we've reached the lab already."

I got back to my feet and offered Ada a hand to get up. She took my hand, snaking her slender fingers through mine. A subtle reminder of what I just missed out on.

As we stepped off the convoy, the emergency lights of the surrounding area were blinking. I'd never been to the Umbrella research facility, but even I knew that we hadn't arrived.

"Looks like we're stuck," Ada said. She looked over the railing, peering into the darkness below. "Where do we go from here?"

"We're going to have to find another way in."

I circled around the platform, locating the source of the problem: The gear box for the lift had overheated. Probably from using it too soon after its last descent. Behind the gear box, I spotted a ventilation cover in the wall. I quickly made my way to it to try to pull it off.

I climbed onto the ledge where it was and started pulling. It was clamped in tightly, but with a little more force, I knew I could get it off. I used my knife to help me pry it and finally managed to tear it loose. The moment I did that, the gear box started back up again and the turntable continued its descent, taking Ada with it.

Racing towards the edge, I thought about making a jump for it, but the turntable had already gone down too far. I would never make it now. Having no other choice, I sheathed my knife and climbed into the ventilation shaft.

**Chapter Fourteen**

The smell of oil and grime filtered through the vents as I crawled through them. I kept thinking about Ada, wondering if she was all right. I knew that she could take care of herself without question, but I felt that it was my duty to protect her from this nightmare, no matter what.

Having reached the end of the ventilation shaft, I kicked the grate off with thunderous force. In the distance, I could hear the shallowed breaths of those Licker things. My experiences with them gave me a bit of confidence when it came to dealing with the sharp tongued monsters.

As I stuck my head through the opening, I spotted a huge vat of molten steel in the center of what looked to be a massive power room. I instantly felt the heat of the room coiling around me like a snake. I quickly unbuttoned my uniform, trying to stay as cool as I could before the heat could wear me out.

Now on ground level, I paced through the gigantic room, where I saw an elevator at the far end. As I edged closer to the elevator, a Licker dropped down from the ceiling, landing right in front of me.

I'd faced off against enough of them to know that something was different about this particular one.

For starters, it was considerably larger than the ones I came across in the police station, not to mention that its claws looked like they could cut through metal. I backed up, slowly, trying to get a safe enough distance away without making any sudden moves.

The Licker showed no mercy.

It immediately launched itself in the air, crashing down on top of me. Luckily, I was able to use its own momentum to drive it down into the floor, using a Judo flip I learned at the academy, forcing it to the take the brunt of the impact. Before it had a chance to recover, I grabbed my handgun from its holster and took aim at its head.

I never got the chance to pull the trigger.

This enhanced version of an already powerful enemy launched its tongue at me before I could line up my sights. I was forced to dodge the incoming counterattack, hitting the floor hard. The Licker retracted its foul smelling tongue back into its horrid mouth, searching the room for me.

That's when I remembered…

These monsters couldn't see. They tracked their enemies down by sound alone. On the floor, just a few inches away, was a piece of pipe lying on the floor. I reached for it slowly, trying not to draw the Licker to my location. The Licker was pawing the ground, searching for me with its ears. I got my hand on it and quickly threw it as fast as I could. The moment it hit the floor, the Licker jumped to the source of the sound, and I followed right behind it.

As it realized that it had been tricked, I copied its attack from earlier and launched myself onto its back before giving it a chance to track my steps.

Rodeo bulls were like house cats, compared to this thing.

It shook its body violently, trying to force me off. I had a steady hold of the Licker by its neck and with the quickness that would make any killer proud, I unsheathed my knife and stabbed the Licker repeatedly through its head.

Talk about overkill.

Once I was sure the creature was dead, I continued moving toward the elevator. All the hard work I put into killing that thing seemed all for naught. The elevator had no power.

There had to be someway of getting out. I searched the place, before spotting a transformer, hidden in the shadows on the other side. There was a lever on the transformer and I flipped it upward. A small shock numbed my fingers as I drew my hand back. Possibly the reason it was off to begin with.

I stepped into the elevator and my jaw dropped when I realized how big it was. Towards the back was a kiosk, fitted with a keypad and small screen. I'd never seen one like it any place else. After learning the type of business that Umbrella orchestrated, it should have come as no surprise to me.

The kiosk was on, but was only operable in an emergency.

At least that was what I read on the screen.

Ignoring the terminal for now, I turned my attention back to the call buttons. The elevator indicated that I was in the basement area. I pushed the button marked "G" and watched the doors to the elevator lull close.

Once they opened, I was faced with a narrow corridor that had hardly any light. Naturally, I had my reservations about going down there, but I needed to know. If there were any more of the Licker things, I had to be ready.

I took out my shotgun and held it tightly in my grip as I steadied myself through the darkness. Just like upstairs, I found it incredibly hot and I knew I was going to start sweating again. I didn't hear any zombies or B.O.W.s approaching, but I still felt incredibly uneasy.

I pressed my back against the nearby wall, sliding my way down the corridor until I reached the corner. As I turned to peek around, I saw another door standing sturdily. I was relieved to know that it was only me here. As I got closer to the door, I tried to open it, but it was locked tightly. I was barely able to make out the POWER ROOM 3 that was plastered above the door, in the darkness.

A dead end, I retreated back the way I came and went back to the elevator. I hit the button marked "M" and the elevator rumbled slightly before going up.

Good thing I had the shotgun in hand.

The moment the doors opened, I was immediately swarmed by at least a dozen zombies. They were way too close together for me to pick them off with the VP70, so I went the economic route, blasting back the horde of undead with unadulterated buck shot.

Once they were all down, I stepped over their decrepit corpses and continued moving forward. I spotted the turntable and convoy in the massive foyer beyond where I was standing, but Ada was nowhere to be found.

I hope she's all right…

**Chapter Fifteen**

Whoever decided that keeping the lights off in this place had to either be a real genius or an idiot. I'd say that ninety-five percent of the place was powered by electricity, and nothing worked. I couldn't unlock any of the electronically locked doors, which really limited my movement throughout the facility.

After coming up on another impassable door, my frustration was starting to mount. The main floor of the facility was very dimly lit. I treaded carefully as I walked into a huge space that seemed to be above an even bigger chasm. I couldn't see anything down below.

In the middle of this huge space was a fuse generator. The generator was online, but the fuse was missing. There were only two other doors I hadn't gone through. The fuse had to be in one of them.

The first door had a card reader next to it and since the power was off, I knew that door was a no go. The second door was a little further down the hall. As I stepped closer to it, I lost my footing, almost busting my ass on the floor. When I looked down at the floor, there was thick coating of ice in front of the door marked POWER ROOM 2.

Ice? Where the hell did all this ice come from?

Coming from the door was the frosty chill of a room that produced an icy floor. As I stepped closer to the door to touch it, I drew my hand back immediately once I felt how cold it was. The door slid open easily enough and inside felt like a real icebox. I quickly buttoned my uniform back up, even though it didn't offer much protection against the cold. The frost in this room reached ridiculous levels. All the machinery and computer equipment were frozen solid.

Steadying myself on the icy floor, I treaded over to the other side of the room where I saw a mechanical arm that was whirring out of control over a small port. Across from it was a shiny, black object. It was about the size of a remote control but felt like it weighed ten pounds. A closer examination revealed it to be a fuse case. The markings on the shell were the giveaway. The apparatus across from me must have been some sort of machine that could create a fuse. With the size of the lab, it was only fitting that this fuse was as big as it was.

I steadied the fuse case into the port of the machine and a blue light came on underneath the mechanical arm. The mandibles closed and retracted a fuse from another part of the machine, placing it inside of the fuse case. The fuse then came out, ready for use. As I picked it up, it didn't feel that much heavier than before, but at least now, I had something to power the facility with.

Making my way back to the center of the lab, I inserted the fuse into the generator and after a few minutes, the lights throughout the facility started turning on. All keycard readers and electronic locks were now activated.

The eastern most path directed me to a slew of zombies and more of those Licker creatures. The space in this part of the facility was more than wide enough to get around the monsters than shooting my way through them. The Lickers were incredibly agile and fast, but not too bright.

Walking through an automatic door, I stumbled across a large security center. Mounted on the walls were dozens of surveillance monitors, fitted throughout the facility. Many of them were offline and showed nothing of interest. I continued to the other side of the security center, where there was another automatic door. As it opened, I could see another Licker, feasting on the body of a headless corpse.

I guess B.O.W.s didn't discriminate.

The pathway was far too narrow for me to walk around the creature, so I walked very slowly and methodically while the Licker was enjoying its last meal.

Boom!

Licker brains were splattered all over the floor after a close range shotgun blast to the back of its head. To my left was a row of lockers. There were corresponding lights that went with each one and all of them were out except for one. I marched slowly up to the lockers and found that it was unlocked.

Inside was a data disc, with a note attached to it:

_I had no doubt that you would find this disc. On it is a record of all of Umbrella's transactions, from funding, to the B.O.W. experiments. You've managed to make it this far and the fate of the world rests on your shoulders. There's also a key that you'll need for power room 3. There, you'll find the emergency elevator that will take you to the high speed train, where you can escape this nightmare. Make sure you get that disc to the proper government officials along with the report. Stay sharp, Leon._

_K. Marshall_

Just when I thought I heard the last of Marshall, he made me privy to his presence in the facility. I had no idea where he was, but I had a strong feeling that he was somewhere close by, watching my every move.

In spite of myself, I couldn't help but smile.

I pocketed the disc and grabbed the key for the power room. Now that I had my escape route secured, I had to find Ada. Going back the way I came, I passed through the security center making my way back towards the center of the lab.

As I was running through, the crackle of something like a whip, slammed against my back, hard. I fell to the floor, dropping the key. I watched it skid across the floor almost twenty feet. The sting I felt between my shoulder blades was intense. When I looked up, I found myself cornered by a walking plant creature. The Ivy.

Its flowery head and whip like arms were just like how Marshall described them in his report.

Turning around to the sound of more whips slicing through the air, I was now trapped between three Ivy plants. I didn't have time to waste trying to mow them down. I needed to get that key.

The Ivies had great range with their vines, but like Marshall said, moved incredibly slow. I used their lack of foot speed to my advantage. Getting back to my feet, I made a dive for the key, but the nearest Ivy surprised me by spitting a thick wad of liquid onto my vest. As the liquid started to melt through my vest, I quickly realized that it was acid and I took the vest off before my body was next.

The Ivies were closing in, but I managed to grab the key off the floor with another dive before I was doused with acid again. Making a run for the center of the lab, I was able to escape the viral cultured botanical monstrosities.

As I ran through another automatic door, I heard the click of a gun come from behind me. I immediately stopped. There were few things worse than being shot in the back. Turning around slowly, I found myself looking into the eyes of a blonde woman in a white lab coat. Annette Birkin. Now that I had had a clearer view of her face, it was clear that at one point, she had been a looker. Now, she had a crazed glint in her eye that robbed her of any good looks she had left.

"You! You murdered my husband! I'll never forgive you for this! I'll never surrender the G-Virus!"

"What are you talking about?" I said. I noticed that she was holding a vial in her hand with some strange, purple gel inside.

_Could that be the G-Virus Marshall mentioned in his report?_

"This is my husband's legacy! No one will take it away from me. Not you, not Umbrella, or that spy that you've been running around with!"

"Spy? What spy?"

She started to laugh at me the way the nerds always did when they felt the need to accentuate their intelligence. "You really don't know anything, do you?"

"What? You can't be talking about Ada. She's not a spy!"

More sinister laughter erupted from her. She looked at me pointedly as if I really were an idiot. "Fool! How can you call yourself a police officer, yet be so gullible? That spy is an operative sent by the Agency to retrieve the G-Virus! You didn't really think she came here to find her poor boyfriend, John, did you?"

"That's bullshit!" I protested. Now I was angry. Not because I felt the need to defend Ada as much as I had an inkling that _maybe_ this woman was right. After all, I never got the sense that Ada was completely straight with me.

"I discovered this when I decided to do a background check on her. I knew her boyfriend and unfortunately, he's dead. Turned into one of those zombies back at the Arklay research facility. She purposely got close to him to get information on Umbrella and the G-Virus."

"I don't give a damn what you say! Ada isn't like that!"

"Ha, I don't really care if you believe me," she said as she took aim. "I'm going to kill you both, anyway!"

"You don't have to do this, Annette. We can talk this through. I don't want the G-Virus."

"The time for talking has passed," she said with sick laughter. "Say your prayers, cop!"

I had only one chance to rush her to get that gun out of her hand. It was a huge gamble, even if she was a bad shot. I was getting ready to make my move when out of nowhere, a huge shadow dropped from above, thundering in a loud boom as it hit the ground. Annette ran off in the other direction, and I was faced with the T-103 again. There was a massive puncture wound in its chest from where it landed on the table leg back at the factory. I was cornered with no way out.

The T-103 moved sluggishly towards me, trying to ignore its injury. Raising both its arms up to deliver a powerful blow, I ducked underneath it and made a scramble for the elevator. I knew that he wasn't that fast, and I liked my chances of getting away. Passing by a room I hadn't noticed before marked SECURITY OFFICE, I made haste as I ran to the elevator. The doors were taking forever to open up and I could see the T-103 rounding the corner, ready to finish me off.

The door finally lulled open and in a panicked frenzy, I bull rushed my way inside, repeatedly hitting the "G" button. The moment the door closed, the T-103 punched the door of the elevator, leaving a huge fist embedded in the thick metal.

The elevator made its descent down to the "G" level and I quickly ran to the power room. After unlocking the door, I quickly opened it and straight across from me was the emergency elevator.

_There it is!_

Behind me, the T-103, ripped the doors off the hinges and came into the power room with a purpose. I didn't know how it managed to get down here so fast, but it definitely meant business, judging by the look on its implacable face.

I ducked away from the door, trying to get some separation, but I was caught off guard by its quickness. Its gigantic hand wrapped around my throat like a broom handle, and started to squeeze the life out of me. I felt the room going black and my strength leaving me quickly. Struggling for air, I placed both hands on the T-103's giant wrist and used my legs to drive my shoulder into its body. I was able to stagger it for a moment, but not enough for me to break free.

It was most certainly over for me and I felt my chest burning from the lack of oxygen.

Boom!

The T-103's grip suddenly released my neck. A great relief as I sucked in mouthfuls of air. Looking up, the monster was down on one knee, a massive bloodstain on its back as it struggled to get back on its feet.

Boom!

The T-103 roared in pain as it was being attacked by some unforeseen force. Behind the T-103, I could spot someone with some type of strange weapon.

The smile she gave me was certainly reassuring.

"Ada!"

"Leon, run!"

Ada slowly walked up to the downed monster, handgun armed, going in for the finish. In her eyes was the look of a stone cold killer, yet I knew deep down, she was far from it.

"Looks like the end of the line for another failed experiment of Umbrella's," she said pointedly.

She placed the barrel of her Glock on the temple of the Tyrant, going in for the kill shot. As its last method of defense, it quickly grabbed her by the waist in its massive hand, and threw her violently into a piece of machinery.

"Ada!" was all I could say as I could see the life in her eyes being sucked away by the jagged piece of metal that impaled her.

I was unable to move the whole time Ada tried to save me, and now, she needed me and I couldn't do anything.

Everything went dark. My body numb. I glanced over, my teeth gritting uncontrollably as I locked my eyes on the Tyrant. This monster, this thing, that just killed Ada. I felt that at this point, I didn't care what happened to me. One way or the other, I was going to kill that overgrown, trench coat wearing bastard.

I edged over to the vat of molten steel, almost consumed by how much heat was rising from below.

"You want me? Come and get me!"

The T-103 marched towards me, but I wasn't afraid. Not this time.

It closed the gap between us and instantly raised its hands to crush me.

So predictable.

With a quick draw technique I learned in the academy, I fired three shots from the VP70, right into the monster's eyes. It swung wildly, enraged from being blinded. As its back was turned and vulnerable, I ran behind it, throwing all of my weight into its back, sending it over the railing, into the molten vat below.

Justice has been served, R.P.D. Style, you bastard.

"Le...Leon," I heard Ada's blood curdled voice call out to me. I rushed over to her side, grasping her hand in mine. It felt as cold as ice. It pained me to have to look at her this way.

"Ada...I'm...I'm sorry. I...I let you down."

Despite all the pain and suffering she was enduring, she smiled at me as she feebly reached for my cheek. "Leon, you've got to go. Es...escape while you can."

"I said that I would get you out of here. We're supposed to leave together…"

Tears started to well in Ada's eyes. "I know I've never been capable of caring for anyone before, but...but I don't want anything to happen to you. Please, just...just save yourself."

Either I had a really strong sense of duty or...I'd finally come to the realization that I fell in love with a woman I hardly knew.

"Ada, I-,"

She leaned in with her remaining strength and pressed her lips, ever so softly, against mine. Even in her dying moments, there was no denying now that despite lying to me about so many things, she really did care about me. I inhaled mouthfuls of her cherry vanilla scent as she tenderly kissed me. There was one last sigh and Ada's hand slipped free of mine.

When I reopened my eyes, Ada was gone.

I hugged her lifeless body and held her dearly, ignoring the pool of blood that was soaking my uniform. As I knelt there with Ada's body in my arms, I didn't want to leave her behind. Absently running my fingers through her hair, I'd almost forgotten that I had to escape. Marshall was right. Everything was riding on me. I had to get out.

I hadn't noticed it before, but Ada was wearing something around her neck. As I reached to see what it was, my heart felt numb. It was a gold locket. I opened it up, and sure enough, was a picture of that little girl, Annette Birkin, and who I presumed to be William Birkin. Behind the picture was a detachable frame that held something in place. When I moved it, I found a small vial with the same purple looking gel Annette had in her hand moments ago.

The fucking G-Virus...

I took the sample out of locket, clenching it tightly in my palm. To think that the fate of this city had been ruined over this crap. Countless lives forever destroyed.

_So this is what everyone's been dying for?_

With one last look at it, I heaved the G-Virus sample over the railing, into the molten steel below. If Ada had to lose her life over it, then I wasn't going to allow anyone to have it.

I took one last look at Ada. It wasn't how I wanted to remember her, but even in death, she remained as beautiful as when I first met her.

I'll see you...when fate brings us together again...

"THE SELF DESTRUCT SYSTEM HAS BEEN ACTIVATED. REPEAT. THE SELF DESTRUCT SYSTEM HAS BEEN ACTIVATED. THIS SEQUENCE CANNOT BE ABORTED. ALL PERSONNEL PROCEED TO THE EMERGENCY CARS AT THE BOTTOM PLATFORM."

The PA system was a crude reminder that I had to get out of here. As I was ready to make my way to the emergency elevator, my radio went off.

_"Leon! Boy am I glad to see you!"_

"Claire? Where are you?" I was relieved to know that she was still alive.

_"I'm watching you on one of the cameras,"_ she said. _"None of that is important though. I need you to go back and get Sherry!"_

Sherry? That must be the little girl. It hadn't dawned on me until now that I had never asked Claire what her name was.

"Where is she?"

_"I left her in the security office, near the entrance to the lab. Please, you must hurry!"_

"Wait! What are you about to do?"

_"I've got some unfinished business to take care of. Don't let me down, Leon. I'm counting on you."_

"Claire! Claire! Wait!"

There was nothing but static on the other end now. Whatever Claire had to do, it had to be something big. What could it be?

**Chapter Sixteen**

Doubling back to the other elevator, I returned to the upper level of the facility, where the entrance was. I remembered passing by the security office while I was escaping from the T-103, but didn't have the chance to go inside. As I stepped off the elevator, I spotted a huge hole in the wall, presumably left by the T-103.

I opened the door to the security office and immediately spotted Sherry, wearing Claire's vest. At first, I thought she was asleep, but when she didn't respond to me waking her, I knew that she was unconscious. I went to pick her up, and felt her skin burning up when I touched it. I was no doctor, but her fever was ridiculously high. If it persisted, she might die...

Trying to ignore her temperature, I went back to the elevator with her in my arms.

Walking through the power room, I passed Ada's body again, trying to ignore the burning image of her lying there, dead. The emergency elevator was powered on and I stepped inside. This elevator looked a lot like the one I just got off of. In the back of it was the same kiosk.

I set Sherry down on the elevator floor and moved over to the kiosk once I realized that thee screen was blinking. A message prompt continuously scrolled across the screen:

"SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE HAS BEEN ACTIVATED. ALL FAILSAFE PROMPTS HAVE BEEN INITIATED. INSERT MASTER CARD KEY TO ACTIVATE EMERGENCY ROUTE"

I had no idea what type of emergency route could be used for an elevator, but I didn't have the time to think about it. I took out the master card key and inserted it into the slot in the kiosk. A diagram of an alternative route appeared on the screen. I chose to go the other path and the doors to the elevator closed immediately. There was a sound like something breaking, followed by a rumble that shook the entire elevator. After a few moments of shaking, I could feel the elevator making its descent.

I picked Sherry up off the floor and walked outside the doors once they opened. In front of me was some kind of high-tech looking train. I only imagined seeing something like it in a movie, but here it was, right in front of my face. Sliding the door to the nearest train cart open, I stepped inside and found a bench to lay Sherry down on. I felt her head again and she was still burning up. My concern grew, especially since I had no idea what was happening to her.

To my left was the door to the first car of the train. As I approached it, the door opened automatically. The switchboard for the train was certainly not like any train I had ever seen. A vast array of buttons, switches and gears, made it look more like a weird computer than a train system. The main lever to start the train was right in front of me. I tried to move it, but it wouldn't budge. Something was keeping it locked. Running my hand across all the buttons, including the big red one that read EMERGENCY BRAKE, yielded nothing.

Just like everything else in the place, the train needed power. The question was where was I going to find it? Going back to check up on Sherry, there was still no sign of Claire. If this place was really going to blow up, Claire was certainly taking her sweet ass time getting here.

Stepping off the train, I made out an exit to my left that I didn't see at first. I walked toward the exit and realized that it was a gated door. It wouldn't budge when I first tried the handle, but after a kick, the handle broke and the door opened pretty easily.

On the other side was a wall mounted fuse generator, which housed two large fuses. As I approached it, sweltering heat radiated from an unforeseen part of this new area. The molten vat of steel was down here along with three others.

Wiping the sweat from my brow, I continued moving towards the fuses. There were a series of diagrams surrounding the generator and after observing each one, I realized that they were diagrams illustrating how to get the train started. I had to take the two fuses and mount them on another generator that was at the front of the train, next to the gate.

The moment I reached to grab them, I heard something heavy land behind me. If the sound of its enormous size wasn't enough, the smell of its burning flesh was enough to make my stomach cringe. I slowly turned around, faced with the hulking T-103.

This time, it looked seriously _pissed._

Gone was its trench coat and human like appearance. What was left of the abomination now was a giant mutation of an already powerful B.O.W., fitted with claws on each arm that made the Licker's own look like toothpicks. Parts of its body were alight with crimson flame, but the Tyrant ignored them as if they were mosquito bites.

It took one giant step in my direction, then in a flash, charged at me with mind numbing speed.

The crushing pain I'd felt in my chest told me that I was unable to move in time. I was doubled over from the powerful charge of the Tyrant. Coughing up blood, I managed to get back to my feet as I eyed the monster with resentful ferocity.

_I guess somethings just aren't satisfied with dying only once!_

My back was facing a surge box, and I thought maybe I could use it to buy some time. The Tyrant stared at me with the black, soulless eyes of a stalking predator as it methodically circled me, waiting to strike.

In the blink of an eye, another charge was sent my way. This time, I was able to dodge it as the T-103 sunk its claws into the surge box. A violent torrent of electricity ripped through the Tyrant, knocking it down on its back. My chest was still in a great deal of pain and I gingerly moved myself towards the fuses.

"FIVE MINUTES UNTIL DETONATION. REPEAT. FIVE MINUTES UNTIL DETONATION."

Five minutes? In my condition, I wasn't so sure that I could make it back in time. I took up the two fuses and started to walk towards the exit when I heard a maddening roar come from behind me.

_Doesn't he ever quit?_

Not only was the Tyrant back on its feet, but it seemed even stronger than it did just a few minutes ago.

No matter.

I set the fuses down on the ground, resigned to finish this, once and for all.

"Give me your best shot, freak!" I screamed to the Tyrant. I had my shotgun firmly entrenched in my hands and I was ready to make my stand. Even if it were to be my last.

The T-103 charged again and I barely sidestepped it on its way toward me, slicing through the air with its massive claw. With its back turned, I fired on its back, pumping shell after shell into the B.O.W.. Once my shotgun was empty, I made sure to get some space between me and it to reload. I didn't know how much longer I could continue to dodge its attacks, but I'd be damned if I made it this far and got killed here.

Boom!

Boom!

Boom!

The thunderous bursts of my shotgun seemed to have little to no effect on the Tyrant. My VP70 would be of no use at this point, but I still had my Desert Eagle. I chucked all the remaining shells into the Tyrant, and on the last shot, I saw an opening. On its chest was a spot that looked vulnerable. Every time I fired a blast, it would cover it up with on of its clawed hands. I knew this was my shot.

After eluding the Tyrant again, I whipped out the Desert Eagle and clicked the safety off. I was able to get some distance on it, lining up the sight on the gun with the weak spot. I pulled the trigger, finding my mark. The Tyrant was unable to block it in time. The .50 caliber round staggered the giant menace, forcing it to take a few steps back.

It moaned loudly as it tried to shrug off the shot. I still had five shots left, but knowing this creature, it wasn't ready to start making things easy for me. As long as I was at a safe enough distance, I had a good chance.

I fired three more shots, two missing wide. I underestimated the Tyrant's agility as it dodged my shots effortlessly. I was able to hit it in its weak spot as it charged at me, but it didn't do much to slow it down. I rolled out of the way to try to create more distance, but the one of the Tyrant's claws whacked my arm, sending the Desert Eagle flying.

Unarmed, things suddenly didn't look too good for me.

As a kid, I never believed in ghosts, but my fight with the T-103 made me somewhat of a believer.

Up above us, in the rafters, I made out the silhouette of someone hoisting something heavy over their shoulders before dropping it down to the ground. I knew that shape, but it couldn't be _her_. It couldn't have been Ada. If by some stroke of luck that it was, then how?

"Use this!" The voice was surely Ada's, even though I still couldn't clearly see her.

"Ada! Is that you?" I felt my words fall upon deaf ears as she disappeared, into the shadows cast above.

When I saw what was on the ground, I could see why she struggled with it. Like some kind of omen from a higher power, a military grade rocket launcher stood between me and Umbrella's most dangerous creation.

I knew time was of the essence and I needed to get to the rocket launcher before the T-103 could get to me. There wasn't enough room for me to pick up and shoot. I needed a diversion. Above me was a mesh of thick cables, hanging loosely. If I could get this freak to get itself tangled up somehow, I had a good chance to grab the rocket launcher.

The Tyrant locked its menacing eyes on me again as it charged forward with even greater speed.

I was ready.

With every bit of bravado and poise I could muster, I jumped out of the way at the last possible second as one of its claws shot up into the air. Its arm got caught in the wires, giving me enough time to pick up the launcher.

As it struggled to get free, I rolled to the rocket launcher and mounted it on my shoulder. The markings on it read FIM-92 STINGER. Definitely military grade weaponry. Peering through the scope, I knew I had to make this shot count or there would be no tomorrow for me. I coolly slid my finger on the activator switch, priming the rocket to be fired. The Tyrant cut itself free with its other claw and turned around, ready to charge again.

The targeting crosshairs were locked in on the Tyrant, which brought the sweet taste of redemption to my lips.

"Hey, scrotum face! This time...you won't come back!"

The moment the Tyrant charged again, I fired the rocket and was knocked back by the tremendous recoil of the weapon. On my back, I watched the rocket smash the T-103 with full on impact, obliterating it into chunks of charred, bioengineered flesh.

_That was for you, Ada..._

I dropped the rocket launcher to the ground, breathing in lost gasps of air. Time was running out and I needed to keep moving. I quickly ran to the fuses I set down on the ground, scooped them up, along with the Desert Eagle, and headed for the exit. Before walking through, I took one final glance up at the rafters. All I could do was smile in disbelief.

**Chapter Seventeen**

I had about a minute and a half to get the train up and going, but there was still no sign of Claire. I knew it would tear me up inside if it came down to me having to leave her, but she didn't leave me much choice.

After setting the fuses into their appropriate slots, the idle lights on the train came to life. The huge gate that was blocking the train from leaving opened up as well. With very little time left, I pushed the lever in the cockpit and set the train in motion. It moved slowly at first, but started to pick up speed.

Underneath my feet, I could feel the tremors of the explosions coming from the research facility. The self destruct sequence wasn't a bluff, after all. I ran back through the carts of train, passing Sherry's unconscious form along the way. I opened the cargo hold door to the last cart.

And there she was.

Running with a purpose through the falling debris and poisonous smoke, Claire and I spotted each other through the mayhem, communicating silently that it wasn't over yet.

"Claire! Hurry!" I said as I reached my hand out to her.

She ran with a fury towards the train and without hesitation, lunged for my hand. After everything we had been through, there was no way I was going to let Claire down now. With a strength I didn't know I still had, I grabbed Claire by her wrist and quickly pulled her inside of the cargo car.

My chest was still hurting, but seeing Claire alive was more than worth a little pain.

"I was this close to leaving you behind," I said, forming a sliver of space between my forefinger and thumb.

"It was all a part of my plan to keep you waiting until the last possible second," she said, looking up at me with a smile.

I didn't realize that after pulling her in, I was on top of her. Her thigh pressed tightly against my side.

"Are you going to let me up now?"

"Sorry," I said awkwardly.

I peeled myself off of Claire and offered her a hand to get up. She took my hand, and now we were both on our feet.

"Where's Sherry?"

"She's in the front train car. What's wrong with her? When I brought her down here, she was burning up!"

"Shit! I've got to administer the serum before the embryo pupates!"

Claire ran off towards the train cart, leaving me behind feeling utterly clueless.

"Embryo? Pupate? Claire, wait up!"

I ran into the train cart behind her and I saw Claire with a vial in her hands, pumping a sickly purple liquid into a syringe.

"Claire, is that the G-Virus?" I said, feeling confused still.

"No, it's the G-Vaccine. I made it in the lab. That's what I needed to take care of before meeting you here."

"Is that stuff-,"

"Not now, Leon!"

Claire needed all the focus she could muster to administer the shot just right. After explaining to me that the dosage had to be specific, I left her alone to rid her of any more distractions.

Standing idly in the cockpit, the passing lights of the train tunnel put me in a trance like state. I literally felt as if I was going to fall asleep on my feet. That was when I realized how tired I was. Everything ached and was sore. Always on the move, I hadn't really had a chance to feel it until now.

As my body was easing itself into cruise control, I could do nothing but think about Ada. The feel of her lips was on my mind and I wanted so badly to kiss her again. To feel the warm touch of her skin against mine. To breath in that cherry vanilla perfume. I'd only known her for a few hours, but we shared a lifetime's worth of memories.

The train felt as if it were picking up more speed. I grabbed hold of the safety rails when suddenly, my body was jerked to the side of the train. I hit my head hard against the wall. From the look of things, I wasn't the only one.

When I stepped out of the cockpit, I found Claire on the ground, tenderly rubbing her head as she tried to keep Sherry from sliding all over the floor.

"What the hell was that?" There was an anxious panic in her voice.

"I don't know. I think it came from the back. I'll go check it out. Stay here."

I moved toward the door that would take me to the next cart and went through it. However, when I did that, the door locked behind me, keeping me out.

"Hey, what gives?" I said, slamming my palm into the door.

"The door is locked! I can't get it open!"

Unable to get back inside, I continued on my path towards the back of the train. Once I went through the next cart, the smell of death invaded my nostrils, forcing me to gag on reflex. At the far end of the cargo cart was a mound of flesh, crawling its way towards me. At first it took up only half the cart, but in mere moments, I found breathing room hard to come by.

Whatever this thing was, it was not going to go away easy. The smell only got worse as it got closer to me. I doubled back the other way, going through the door I had just come through. The thing inside was moving fast, now filling up the entire cart. It looked like a mutated sardine that had gotten way too big for its can.

There were giant teeth, protruding in every direction, in what I presumed to be the "mouth" of this thing.

Talk about being trapped between a rock and hard place.

"WARNING! WARNING! BIOHAZARD OUTBREAK DETECTED. SELF DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED. EACH TRAIN CART WILL DETONATE SEQUENTIALLY, STARTING WITH THE REAR CART, IN THREE MINUTES."

_Fuck! Does everything Umbrella make have a failsafe?_

Cornered, I had to find another way to escape the "jaws" of this monstrosity. The top of the train cart wasn't that high, so I jumped and grabbed the ledge, pulling myself up. I crawled along the top of the cart, careful to avoid the relatively low ceiling of the tunnel. I stole a look back behind me and was appalled when I saw long, slimy tentacles protruding through the cart. This thing would not stop growing!

I pulled myself towards the front of the cart, shielding my eyes from the friction of high speed travel. The ventilation cover to cart was easy enough to pull off. Inside, Sherry was looking at the controls, confused which one to press. I was so glad she finally came to. I couldn't fit through the vent, even if I tried.

"Sherry! Press the big red button over there!"

She looked up to see where my voice was coming from, before turning her attention back to the task at hand. Slamming her hand onto the emergency brake, the train cart was slowing down, but way too fast. I found it difficult to keep a firm hold on top of the cart. My hands were incredibly tired and slipping.

Sparks flew from beneath the train as it finally came to a stop. On the control board, there was a timer that was counting down. There was only a minute left.

_Oh shit!_

"Sherry, give me your hand!"

She jumped up for my outstretched hand and I pulled her up through the small ventilation space.

"Come on," I said as I was ready to jump off the train. "We don't have much time."

Once I got my feet on solid ground again, I waited for Sherry to jump into my arms. I caught her and set her down on the ground. Just up ahead, I could see daylight. We were almost free. However, there was no sign of Claire.

"Claire! Claire! Where are you?"

"I'm right here," came Claire's response. She crawled out from underneath the train, soot smeared on her cheeks. There was a tired look in her eyes that I knew mine mirrored.

Never a dull moment.

The ever growing mutation that infiltrated the train was not done breaking through the front train cart.

"That thing just doesn't ever quit," I said wearily.

"Run!" was all I head Claire say.

The three of us made a break for the exit. On tired legs, we pushed ourselves beyond our limits for the sake of seeing another day. Sherry's short legs didn't give her much speed, so I scooped her off her feet in mid run and carried her the rest of the way. I pumped my legs into overdrive and powered towards the light at the end of the tunnel.

First, I felt a thundering vibration under my feet, followed by a massive heat wave that threatened to consume us all. The train had detonated and the resulting explosion was a doozy.

With only a few seconds to spare, we managed to escape the tunnel before the fire could roast us alive.

I put Sherry down and dropped myself to the ground. As I lied there on my back, a feeling of relief overwhelmed me. For what it was worth, I survived the biggest nightmare I could have thought possible. The cool, morning air was refreshing.

No rotting flesh.

No walking plants.

No giant drone in a bulletproof trench coat.

No zombies nipping at my ankles.

This was what I felt at that moment, but just as fast as it came, it disappeared. If I ever truly wanted to enjoy this feeling for a lifetime, then I knew I couldn't quit. Too much was at stake. Too many people were depending on me. On us. I couldn't let my parents down. I couldn't let Claire or Sherry down. Not even Marshall. And certainly, not Ada. Everything I had endured in Raccoon City was just the beginning.

The beginning of the rest of my life.

I sat up from the ground, ignoring the dirt on my tattered uniform. One look at Claire and Sherry, exchanging hugs and laughs put everything into perspective. It was moments like these that I found worth fighting for.

"Let's go," I said as I stood back up. The sun was rising in the distance and I started marching toward it. There was nothing but open road ahead.

"Go? Where? Please don't tell me that there's something else following us!" was Claire's reply.

I turned around to look at her and Sherry. Both of their faces were anxious.

"Hey...it's up to us to take down Umbrella."

**Chapter Eighteen**

It had been a whole week since I escaped the hell that was Raccoon City. As I sat in a diner a few miles south of Raccoon City, I was silently enjoying the medium well steak I had ordered. On the table was today's paper, giving more details surrounding the "sterilization" of Raccoon City, just hours after we escaped. The place where I almost met my end was nothing but rubble, thanks in large part to Umbrella's insistence on covering up the t-Virus outbreak.

A nuclear missile strike could afford a corporation like Umbrella a little bit of flexibility with the media, but not for long.

The people out there weren't stupid. They would want to know what really happened.

I hadn't really had the stomach to eat anything since the incident, but I was slowly getting my appetite back. My baked potato was a little cold, but I'd take that over craving human flesh, any day.

Claire and Sherry sat across from me, sharing a banana sundae. Sherry didn't really have a taste for real food, but she loved ice cream. If we let her, she'd eat ice cream all day long.

A day after we escaped Raccoon City, Claire told me about that monster on the train. It had in fact been William Birkin, mutated beyond recognition, thanks to the G-Virus. He had been left for dead when Umbrella's Security Service came to retrieve the sample. Before dying, he injected himself with the G-Virus, causing him to transform into that hideous creature.

From what Claire said that Annette filled her in on, William attacked the U.S.S., causing the outbreak that killed Raccoon City. That mysterious man in the riot gear I spotted at the police station must have been a survivor. I still had no idea who he was, or if he managed to escape.

"Hey, save some of the fudge for me!" Claire protested. "You're always eating the good parts!"

"Sucks to be you," Sherry replied with a sly smile. "You know the rules, Claire. You don't eat fast, you don't eat at all!"

Claire could only huff and pout, and all I did was laugh.

We'd been laying low for the past few days, shacking up in a cheesy motel that was a five minute walk away from the diner. It was the only thing we could do until I came up with a plan.

The door chime to diner pinged, but I didn't look to see who had come in. I figured in this hick town, it was just another one of the locals.

"Is this a private party or can anyone join?" said a familiar voice.

The voice came from behind me and Claire looked up at whoever it was with a blank expression.

I turned around and was mildly surprised to Keven Marshall standing there. Behind him was another man, similar in build that was toying around with a knife as if it were anything but.

"Well, I'll be damned," I said.

"Likewise, Leon," he said. "Hey, can we speak in private, please?"

"Sure." Turning my attention back to Claire, I said, "I'll only be a minute."

Claire nodded her head while Sherry gave Marshall a dismissive look. She was way too into her ice cream to pay him any mind.

Marshall turned on his heel and stepped out of the diner. I followed him and his muscle bound friend out of the diner. Marshall picked a cool spot in the shade, right across the road.

"I'm really proud of you, Leon. You showed some real grit out there."

"You're really something else, Marshall. How in the world did you escape?"

"This guy," he said, pointing his head to his friend. "Picked me up in a chopper before the missiles blew the place to hell."

"If you knew that you were going to get out, why did you give me that report and the disc?"

"Through all the madness, I was scouting you from the very beginning."

I was confused, not understanding what he meant. "Scouting me?"

"That's right. I was very impressed with the way you handled yourself amidst the circumstances. We could certainly use a guy like you."

"We? Who's we?" I said, still uncertain of Marshall's intent.

"My friend and I here work for a government agency that specializes in taking down terrorists threats, particularly the ones that love bioengineering."

"So all that crap about you being dead was all just to test me?"

"Don't make it sound so bad, Leon," he said with a smile. "You have everything we're looking for in an agent."

"I...I don't know. I don't think I'm cut out to be an agent. I barely graduated from the academy."

"That's because you didn't have anything to fight for then. I can see it in your eyes, kid. You've changed from when I first met you. You have what it takes. Believe me."

I thought about what Marshall was saying. Before I became a cop, I wasn't about anything. It took me almost having become zombie food to put things in perspective. In hindsight, it was all I needed.

"All right. I'm in," I said, extending my hand to Marshall. He shook my hand, casting a firm grip. "I've got one question though: How did you find me here?"

Rather than say anything, Marshall walked up closer to me and slid his hand into my shirt pocket, pulling out his R.P.D. badge. "This was how I found you. This badge is actually a tracking device," he said, pulling off the back. Inside was a blinking red light. It was so small, I barely noticed it at first.

"You're pretty crafty, Marshall. I'll give you that." I reached into the waistband of my jeans and pulled out his Desert Eagle. "I believe this belongs to you."

He seemed a little put off my gesture. "Keep it, kid. You've earned it." He then turned his attention to the other brutish looking guy with him. He called him over to join us in the conversation. "Leon, allow me to introduce you to my partner, Jack Krauser."

Krauser gave me a stern look, but didn't say anything.

"Don't worry, kid. He doesn't bite," Marshall said jokingly.

Before I could say anything in reply, Krauser came closer, bridging the gap between us. As if some part of a sick joke, his stoic face turned up in a crooked smile as he extended his massive hand. "Good to have you on board, Leon. You're one of the good guys now."


End file.
